Digamma
by The Black Flamingo101
Summary: AU. Misaki wakes up in a lab to find that he is the product of human experimentation and now has abilities beyond his imagination. Will he join up with fellow super humans to fight against their captors and their own anger? All couples. Rated M for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, so three hours ago I bought the anime 009 Cyborg, and two hours into watching it, between my squees at all the badassery, I'm like "I NEED TO WRITE A FUCKING FANFIC ABOUT THIS!"  
**

**So yes, this fic is based on that anime and follows a similar trajectory, though I am putting my own twist on most things. Even though I watch a ton of action animes, I thought this particular one would be a really good fit for a JR fic. Plus Misaki's voice actor actually plays the main character (SO CUTE! ^.^) so I could really see him in it.  
**

**This will be quite different from my other fics, but rest assured, there will be lots of my good ole humor, angst, and smexiness as well :)  
**

**Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading! Please drop a review if you like what you see.  
**

**With Love,  
**

**TBF101  
**

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**Digamma**

**Chapter One: Awaken**

"…Wake up…Wake up!"

The teenage boy strapped to the lab table slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the intense white light that flooded his gaze.

"Where am I?" He murmured, glancing around. The small room was empty except for the metal table under him. The boy tried to lift his arms, but found them bound by iron shackles.

"What on earth?" He whispered in horror, yanking his wrists in a panic.

"Release him."

The shackles fell from his hands at the command of the strange voice. As the teen slid off the table, something tugged at the back of his head and fell loose. The boy's eyes widened as he saw a couple of cords lying behind him, almost like the jacks on the end of headphones. He tentatively touched the back of his neck and gasped as he felt several metal holes imbedded in his skin. Had those cords…been plugged into _him_?

"There's no time," The strange voice rang again. "Quickly. Open." A piece of the wall slid into itself and provided a doorway out, which the boy quickly hurried out of. His didn't know who or what he was or what was going on, but the urgency in the strange voice sent a chill down his spine. But as he stepped out into a corridor, something flashed through his mind.

He knew this place…he remembered being here before…

_The soldiers dragged the two teens down the steel corridor, the smaller of the two crying and screaming._

_"Nii-chan! NII-CHAAN!" He cried, willing his wounded brother to awaken. But a trail of blood smeared the white floors as the older boy's dripping face hung limply, his eyes closed and his breath shallow… _

The teen stumbled back against a wall, holding his head in his hands as the memory came and went. He panted in fright, shifting his arms down to hug his shaking body. And it was then that he noticed something else. He was wearing one piece of clothing, a kind of white jumpsuit that hugged his thin body tightly, all the way from his fingers to a pair of heavy black boots. He reached up and touched a small black patch that sat over the left side of his chest, inscribed with the numeral _VI_.

"Misaki! Hurry! Go down the corridor and turn left!"

The teen was shaken out of his thoughts as the deep voice spoke again, only to find himself in shock.

"Misaki…" He murmured. "Yes… that's my name."

"HURRY!" The voice barked. Seconds later, red lights began to swirl around the steel halls, coupled with screeching alarms and a robotic voice over a loudspeaker.

"Subject has escaped captivity. All units are to apprehend him immediately. Use of deadly force authorized."

Misaki gasped as he saw at least a dozen black-suited soldiers thundering down the opposite end of the corridor. He turned and began to dash the other way, his footsteps ringing hollowly against the metallic walls. But as fast as he ran, he couldn't seem to make any leeway.

"Misaki," The voice said again. "Once you take that left, you'll come upon an air vent. Travel up it and make you way through the air system. It will lead you out of the building."

Too panicked to ask whom exactly the voice was, Misaki followed his instructions and found the vent.  
"B—But how do I get it off?" He stuttered, hearing the guards coming closer and closer.

"Grab it and pull."

"Wh—What! It's bolted on!"

"DO AS I SAY!"

At the harsh tone of the voice, Misaki gripped the sides of the vent and tugged, yelping as the bolts broke and the entire thing came off. In his fright he clenched the metal cage harder and gasped as he saw the steel crumple like paper. He quickly threw the grate aside and struggled into the narrow ventilation passage. Even for a small teen like himself he could barely fit, but the slippery texture of his suit seems to aid in his movement, and he soon found himself in a vortex of small tunnels. Every time a fork in the path came, the voice would tell him which direction to go. The dark, breezy tunnels seems endless, but the boy bit back his fear and wiggled on, almost crying with relief as he saw a bright light filtering in through the grate at the end of the cavern. The vent widened as he grew closer and he was able to flip himself around so his feet were first. With barely a kick, the vent cover flew off and daylight blasted into the darkness. Misaki stuck his head out and glanced around, shielding his eyes from the high sun.

Surrounding an expanse of facility buildings and barbed wire fences was a wide-open landscape of dry plains, almost desert like. And even further in the distance, the teen could just make out cliffs overlooking the sea.

"Near the coast?" Misaki murmured. He looked directly below him and bit back a gasp. The drop down to the concrete was at least three stories. Why had the voice lead him here when there was no way down?

"Quickly. Jump down and run for the fence. Don't stop no matter what." The voice commanded. Despite his fear, Misaki felt a bit of bravery stir inside him from the confident tone of the voice. Whoever it was had been right so far. What did he have to lose?

Sucking in a deep breath, the teen slid to the edge of the vent and sprang down, crying out as the rush of air struck his body. He hit the cement with a sickening thud, but was shocked to find he felt no pain. He carefully sat up, and his eyes widened as he saw thick cracks in the solid concrete where he'd fallen.

_BANG!_

The boy cried out as a bullet ricocheted off the ground next to his leg, and he clumsily scrambled up as more sirens and gunfire rang around him. He began to run through the maze of warehouses, picking up a line of wire fence on the outer rim of the base.

_BANG!_  
This time a round hit his shoulder, evoking a frightened scream from the teen, but as he reached up and clasped his limb, he saw there was no blood.

"Guns can't hurt me…" He whispered, his gait increasing with the bit of boldness. But this bit of bravery faded as he picked up a solid black line of soldiers blocking his way to freedom. The pawns cocked their rifles and bullets began to fly towards him. Misaki let loose another scream and ducked behind a warehouse, jamming his fingers in his ears as shells exploded in an overwhelming cacophony. Tears leaked out his eyes at all the raging violence around him, and Misaki gritted his teeth, trying to still his shaking body.

"Misaki."

The teen shook his head in agony as the voice called to him once again.

"Please stop…" He sobbed. "Please make it stop…"

"Misaki, you don't have to be afraid." The voice replied confidently. "You are now more powerful than any of those soldiers."

"B—But…what's going on? What do I do?"

"I promise I will explain everything once we meet, but as for now, I think it's about time we tap into your real power."

Misaki's teary eyes widened.

"My…power?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Power Up**

"My…power?"

"Yes," The voice answered. "The abilities given to you. Now, on the right side of your mouth, there should be a switch embedded in one of your molars. Bite down on it."

Misaki opened his mouth and reached a finger back near his throat, and was surprised to find a plastic-like button precisely where the voice said. He pushed down on it, but nothing happened.

"I said bite kid." The voice sighed irritably. "Now hurry up. We're all running out of time."

"O—Okay." Misaki nodded. Closing his eyes, he crunched his jaws together as hard as he could, snapping the switch further into his tooth. The teen gasped as his whole body jerked by itself and a kind of current began to flow down to his hands and feet, seeming to numb his limbs.

"Wha—What's happening to me?" He stuttered.

"Your powers are awakening. They aren't fully charged, but you should still have enough juice to get out of there. Now, stop hiding and run through that fence!"

"But what about the guns?"

"They can't hurt you now! GO!" The voice snarled. Fueled by his own uncertainty and panic, Misaki dashed out from behind the warehouse and raced forward, gritting his eyes shut and screaming as he charged towards the onslaught of soldiers. They bellowed back and began to fire rapidly, pummeling the target mercilessly with bullets. As he felt something ding against his cheek, Misaki opened his eyes, and gasped at what he saw.

Everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion. The teen stared in awe at the bullets that lay suspended in mid air, slowly creeping towards him. He fluidly moved out of their path and watched them fly away like a bird caught in a breeze.

Had time… stopped?

In mere seconds of running Misaki drove through the ranks of soldiers like a charging bull and made it to the barbed wire perimeter. His little spark of confidence growing, he clenched his fists and jumped, clearing the twenty-foot fence with ease. He landed on his feet like a cat and kept running, the ground flashing past him as his limbs flexed with unnatural prowess.

BOOM!

Misaki's eyes widened as the ground right behind him exploded, raining dirt and rocks in a wide trajectory. Another landmine shot open at his left and Misaki increased his speed, skirting around the explosions like dodge balls. The teen saw that he was near some rocky hills and hope sparkled in his heart. If he could make it out of the open, there was a better chance that they wouldn't find him. But as he glanced behind him, he could make out at least two dozen black planes and helicopters rising out of the base, flying straight towards him. The boy tried to run faster, but found that his rapid acceleration was stabilizing, setting him at a constant speed. And in this state, they'd surrounded him in less than a couple minutes.

"Help me!" Misaki cried, praying the voice would here him. "I can't get out! HELP!"

But no answer came.

Filled to the brim with adrenaline and panic, Misaki focused all his strength on the last spurt of distance between him and the rocks. But the black machines only drew closer, and Misaki heard a gun being fired from above. Heavy bullets rained down on him again, causing him to loose his balance and fall head first to the ground. The frightened boy curled into a ball as a helicopter descended towards him, blowing the dust violently with it's whipping blades—

CRASH!

The boy looked up in shock as a boulder flew from the direction of the hills and struck the helicopter, smashing the machine and sending it spiraling down to the ground. Misaki covered his head with his hands as chunks of rock fell all around him, but he looked up as he heard a familiar voice.

"Get as close to those hills as you can! We have you covered!"

The boy scrambled up and took off again, watching in shock and horror as another airborne boulder collided with a plane, taking it out with one blow. As Misaki raced towards the rocks, he squinted and could faintly make out a lone figure on top of the highest hill, chucking boulders at the enemy like skipping stones. The figure threw one last rock missile before sliding down the steep hill towards Misaki, waving a single time in the opposite direction. The teen obeyed his command and ran after him, catching up easily with his springing gait. But as they raced past the last couple hills, another black copter rose down from the air, rapidly descending towards them. Misaki slid to a shaky stop and was about to run back when the other figure grabbed his arm and jerked him forward.

"Hurry!" The stranger said. "Get to the chopper!"

Misaki was unsure of whether to follow the orders of the man, but the grip on his arm was so strong he couldn't even hope to break it, so he dashed for the helicopter, and felt the other man grab his waist and all but throw him inside.

He landed on the floor of the cockpit, shakily sucking in air as his body trembled from the exertion and fear. He closed his eyes and folded into himself, whimpering as he felt a large hand touch his forehead.

"Are you all right Digamma?" A kind voice asked. Misaki slowly opened his eyes and saw the face of the man who had just rescued him. His face was handsome, but also inexplicably warm and loving, with black hair and deep blue eyes. The giant of a man carefully slid an arm underneath the teen's shoulder blades and sat him up, beginning to touch underneath his neck and the back of his head with precise fingers.

"How is he Beta?" Another asked. The giant carefully peered into Misaki's bloodshot eyes and gave a single nod.

"He's a little banged up, but looks all right." He replied, giving the teen a pat on the back. "Are you feeling okay?"

"…Y—Yeah." Misaki stuttered, carefully shifting onto his knees. "W—Who are you? What did you call me?"

"Digamma, the sixth." The man smiled. "That's your number. I'm Beta, the second, but my real name is Nowaki."

"Nowaki?"

"Mhmm. What's yours?"

"Misaki—whoa!" The teen yelped as the helicopter jerked sharply, sending him flying into the giant's arms.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki cried. "Be careful!"

"YEAH!" Another high-pitched voice squeaked. "Are you trying to kill us you idiot!"

"Shut your mouth brat!" The person in the co-captain seat raged. "And you're all damn lucky I saw that missile so quit complaining about my flying!"

Misaki breathed shakily at all the jarring voices, but when he did, he smelled smoke.

"Is something burning?" He stuttered, looking up at Nowaki. The giant's eyes widened and he looked back over to the co-captain of the chopper.

"Hiro-san! You're catching fire again."

"I KNOW I'M CATCHING FIRE DUMBASS!" Hiroki raged.

"Well calm down." A more mellow voice exclaimed. Misaki looked over to a seat near the back of the copter, where a man as tall as Nowaki sat. But although he had black hair similar to the giant, his face held a startling difference. Two steel plates were placed over his eyes like sunglasses, bolted down to his skin. Misaki's eyes widened at the sight.

"Don't tell me to calm down again!" Hiroki snarled back. "If you don't like the way I fly then do it your goddamned self!"

"Yeah like that'll work!" The higher pitched voice screamed back. Misaki's eyes shifted all along the back of the copter, but he couldn't see anyone else.

"There are many life lessons to be learned Delta. One of the more obvious ones is don't let the blind guy fly the bloody plane." The steel-eyed man chuckled at the quarrel. Right after he retorted though, his head jerked up and he grunted thoughtfully.

"Alpha, they're tracking us through his sensors. We should remove them immediately."

"Do it." Said the one sitting in the captain's chair.

Misaki's eyes widened as he heard the same voice who had spoken to him all those times, but before he could even move, he found his head grabbed and restrained by Nowaki.

"Please hold still." The giant smiled. "It will be over quickly."

Misaki yelped as Nowak's fingers shoved into his mouth and probed the left side of his throat. The giant quickly located one of the boy's back molars and gave a sharp yank, ripping the tooth out by the roots. Misaki cried out in pain as the giant released him, but as his tongue carefully touched the wounded spot, he felt no blood.

"See?" Nowaki said, holding the robotic molar in front of his eyes. "All better. Now for the last ones."

Misaki flinched as Nowaki reached out and grabbed both of his earlobes, where two small metal gauges were. The giant slipped them out painlessly and showed them to the boy again.

"They're out." He announced.

"Throw them out the chopper. They will deter at least half of the force." Steel eyes said impassively. Nowaki opened the window and chucked them out into the air, watching them land in a cluster of small mountains.

"Here Misaki," Nowaki gestured to a row of empty seats. "Come strap yourself in. It might be a bumpy ride."

"I heard that!" The co captain screamed again.

"B—But wait, wait," Misaki said, his eyes darting around the group of strange people. "Who…are all of you? What do you want with me?"

Nowaki's eyes softened compassionately and he put a careful hand on Misaki's shoulder.

"You don't need to worry anymore Misaki. You see…we're all just like you. We've all had our bodies changed and tampered with by the FMA."

"The…FMA?"

A thoughtful grunt came again from the captain's seat, and Misaki heard the voice he knew so well speak again.

"I believe it's time for introductions."

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**Get to da chopper!**

**:) Well, now I can cross that off my "random things I want to say in a fanfic" list. **

**So glad for all the great reviews so far! ^_^ I am equally excited about this fic and I'm so happy everyone else is too! Squee. **

**Artemis Fortune- Watch the show! Dear god watch it! :D Don't let the goofy animation fool you, it's freaking awesome with great characters and plot. My fic differs enough from it so that you won't have any serious spoilers :)**

**Ricchan14- thanks for the review! And unless I specifically state a physical change, everyone looks normal. **

**Everlasting Snow Princess, KiyameHikari-chan, sesshomaru94, AlexisAshnew- thanks so much! Hope you enjoy! :D**

**TBF101**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm on a roll. Sue me.  
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**Plus I'm always happy to update for my favorite dog :)  
**

**Thanks for reading!  
**

**TBF101  
**

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**Chapter Three: Introductions**

"So…" Misaki said. "You're all…like me?"

Nowaki nodded thoughtfully.

"Come sit down and I'll explain."

Misaki went over to the row of back seats and was about to sit down between Nowaki and the blind one, when a piercing shriek caught him off guard.

"HEY! What makes you think you can sit there?" Said the empty seat.

"I uh—" Misaki stumbled back in surprise. "Sorry…"

"You can't sit next to Miyagi!" It shrieked. "Only I can sit by Miyagi! You got that moron!"

"Epsilon!" Nowaki scolded, motioning Misaki to come around and sit on the end. "Be nice to Digamma. We shouldn't be fighting."

Misaki's eyes widened as a blonde boy even younger than himself materialized out of thin air, sitting in the chair and scowling like a cat in a bath.

"H—How did he do that?" Misaki whispered to Nowaki. "It's impossible…"

"We all can do the impossible now Misaki." Nowaki replied. "You saw a measure of my ability earlier."

"You mean, when you threw those boulders?"

"Yep." Nowaki smiled, pointing to his the patch on the side of his chest. Misaki took a closer look and noticed a little bashfully that everyone was wearing a suit identical to his own. However, instead of VI, Nowaki's patch read II.

"I am Beta, and I was the second experiment." The giant explained. "I was engineered to have the strength of a thousand men. I am this group's hands."

"Wow," Misaki gapped. Nowaki was big and muscled, yes, but he had the ability to move mountains around like empty boxes.

"Miyagi over there," Nowaki said, pointing to the blind one. "Is Gamma, the third. He's blind, but he isn't sightless. Rather than seeing the present, he sees the future and also he can look at places that are miles away. He is our eyes. He was able to find you and give us direction to get you out."

Misaki looked over at Miyagi again, this time with awe and gratitude.

"And then there's Delta, the fourth," Nowaki continued with a large smile. "His name is Hiroki, but I call him Hiro-san—"

"CAN IT NOWAKI!" Hiroki screeched from the cockpit. But the giant just kept smiling.

"Hiro-san is able to control heat and fire. He's a living furnace."

"Is that why…he's on fire?" Misaki asked hesitantly, flinching at the sight of a few flickering flames dancing on Hiroki's shoulder.

"Well—er yes," Nowaki sighed. "You see, Hiro-san's power is often triggered by his emotions…so when he's angry it gets harder to suppress. You shouldn't worry though, he's never burned anything down…well nothing big anyway…plus I imagine he'd be great to make s'mores with…

"And next up is Epsilon, the fifth," Nowaki hurriedly moved on. "Shinobu is a camouflage expert, and can turn himself and other things invisible, which is why you didn't see him earlier. He was also engineered to be able to shape shift into animals but he hasn't been able to develop it much yet, so he can only do one."

Misaki cocked his head curiously.

"What kind of animal?"

"A hamster." Miyagi snickered.

"Shut up old man!" Shinobu snapped. Misaki frowned. This epsilon character was hard to understand. One minute he was practically claiming Miyagi as his personal property, the next he was insulting him. It made little sense, but somehow Misaki sensed that was usually the case, as immediately after growling at him, Shinobu shifted closer, hugging Miyagi's arm and resting his cheek against it.

"But Nowaki…" Misaki murmured. "If I'm—I mean, if there are six of us then…who's the first?"

"Well, why don't you ask him?" Nowaki nodded to the cockpit. "Alpha."

The man in the captain's chair undid his seat belt and stood, nodding to Hiroki.

"Try not to crash her right away, Delta."

"Blow it out your brains asshole." The co captain muttered. Alpha walked over to the back of the cockpit, showing his face to Misaki. The man was tall and lean like Nowaki and Miyagi, but his face was much different, with a shock of gray hair and expressionless eyes that entranced Misaki with their gaze.

"You're…Alpha?" He asked. The man nodded.

"Yes, I am Akihiko, and I was the first."

"You're the one who spoke to me in there…you got me out. Th—thank you."

The man simply nodded again, and Misaki quietly continued.

How—I mean, what are… your powers?"

"It's complicated. It's kind of a cross between telepathy and telekinesis. I can control inanimate objects by speaking to them and concentrating, but occasionally I can also communicate mentally with others, as I did with you. Though while I have mastered my powers to a high degree, even I do not know how far they extend."

"In other words, his powers make no sense." Hiroki barked. Akihiko ignored him.

"And…my—my powers," Misaki said, the wheels of his mind slowly turning. "Are…time?"

"Not exactly." Akihiko replied. "Super speed is a more accurate term. You run so fast that things appear to move in slow motion, but they do not stop."

"Oh," The teen replied, staring down at his lap and processing. Akihiko peered out the window, his face still unreadable.

"If you have any questions Misaki, now would be the time." He said dryly. At his beckoning, Misaki swallowed hard and spoke.

"Why did you save me? Why go through such lengths for someone you don't even know?"

"Because," Alpha replied. "You are one of us…and, I am a friend of your brother."

Misaki's eyes shot open and he jumped out of his seat.

"You know my brother?" He said worriedly. "Where is he? Is he all right! We have to find him!"

For the first time, a flicker of emotion passed through Alpha's cold eyes, and it was pained.

"I'm sorry Misaki…but, Takahiro didn't survive the experiments…he's dead."

The melancholy news hit the traumatized boy like a brick, and he sank bonelessly to the floor. Alpha watched him with a tendril of empathy.

"I…tried to get his body out, but was unable to find it. I'm truly sorry… for Takahiro."

Hot tears leaked out of Misaki's eyes, spilling onto the floor as sobs rose in his chest.

"…Who did this?" He whispered. "Who changed me? Who killed my brother! Who's responsible for THIS!"

The teen banged his knuckles against the floor in agony, leaving fist-sized dents in the metal. Nowaki slid out of his seat and sat down next to the sobbing boy, draping a strong arm around his shoulders.

"The fault lies with a single organization."

Misaki's teary eyes rose back up to Akihiko's, whose gaze had turned cold.

"They are known as the Federation for Military Advancement, otherwise called the FMA." Alpha enlightened. "They're a secret division of the government that studies weapon enhancement, and recently, their methods of experimentation went too far. The group you see before you is the product of human genetic alteration. In other words, they created us, they took our names, they rebuilt our bodies, so we could become living weapons."

"Living…weapons?" Misaki breathed in horror. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Shinobu bury his face in Miyagi's chest, the blonde's shoulders beginning to quiver.

"Yes." Akihiko replied darkly. "And that is why we escaped and banded together, to show them that they cannot tamper with our lives as they please. We are now more powerful than any number of soldiers, and together, we might even be invincible."

"And now that we have all six of us," Hiroki added. "We can begin to fight back against the FMA."

"Fight back?" Misaki whispered.

"Precisely," Said Alpha. "Now Misaki, you have been given all the answers you desire, and it is time for you to make a choice."

Akihiko kneeled down in front of the boy, extending a hand.

"You are not a machine or weapon, and we will not force anything upon you. You may choose to stay with us and rebel against the ones who killed your brother, or you may leave and do as you please with the rest of your life."

Misaki stared incredulously at the man, his eyes still dripping with tears. In spite of all the gunfire and fear he had faced in just a few short hours, this was by far the hardest part. He was alone. He had no family, no friends, no future, and a body that almost frightened him. What was he supposed to do?

But as he looked into Akihiko's lavender eyes, despite their iciness…he saw shreds of humanity in them, even though the body they housed was no longer mortal. With a shaking hand, Misaki reached up and took Alpha's hand, his small fingers awkwardly fitting between the taller man's.

A flicker of warmth passed through Akihiko's eyes and he carefully helped the teen off the floor, ushering him over to the cockpit.

"Come on Digamma, I need another pilot protégé. Hopefully your instruction will be a bit smoother than Delta's was—" But his mocking words were abruptly cut off as the helicopter turned harshly, knocking Misaki straight into Akihiko's arms.

"Say that again," Hiroki seethed. "I dare you…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Training**

Misaki watched the patchwork quilt of scenery pass underneath the helicopter as they flew, the view darkened by the oncoming night. He sat in the co captain's seat, having relieved Delta a few minutes ago. Hiroki had been flying the chopper for hours while Alpha gave him a crash course on the controls and piloting. And with the FMA planes that had been tailing them, it wasn't easy. Everyone in the chopper had been knocked around quite a bit and they'd nearly crashed a couple times in the turbulence of dodging and cloaking. But Alpha's direction and Delta's keen eyes had paid off, and they were nearly home free.

"Enemy at two o'clock Alpha." Miyagi spoke up from the back, Shinobu tucked in his arms. The boy had been shaking terribly earlier during all the commotion, but seemed to have calmed down.

"How many?" Alpha replied, flipping a few switches on the control board.

"Just one. And he's the last."

"Good. Hiroki, fire away."

"Hmm?" Delta piped up, sitting on the edge of his seat and staring at the floor.

"We're getting too close to base to shake him and we're down to a quarter of fuel." Akihiko answered. "Blast the fucker."

Hiroki stood and stretched his arms, going to a metal compartment at the back of the chopper.

"You got it." He muttered, Misaki watched out of the corner of his eye as the fourth pulled out a long, thick black tube with a trigger on the end, and he eyes widened as he saw Hiroki pull open the door of the helicopter. He kneeled down as a harsh breeze whipped into the cockpit and struck them all, threatening to blow them flat against their seats. But Hiroki barely seemed to notice. He held the thick pommel in one hand and the barrel in the other, looking through the sight with an open eye and slowly squeezing the trigger with precision.

BANG!

Misaki flinched as a large round shot out of the missile gun and flew towards the enemy plane. It struck the wing of the plane with a sickening crash and the machinery exploded into flames, sending it spiraling down to the landscape below. Hiroki watched it crash with a slight smile and yanked the door shut again, handing the launcher to Nowaki and retaking his seat.

"Nice shot." Alpha mused, his eyes still on the sky ahead. Hiroki grunted satisfactorily.

"Wow…" Misaki breathed, watching Delta with wide eyes.

"That's why I wanted to train you to fly this thing." Alpha enlightened quietly. "Hiroki's a mediocre pilot, but he has the best aim I've ever seen. He's far more useful at the trigger end of a gun. Now, press on that red button at the top of the control panel."

Misaki did as he was told, watching in fascination as the button began to light up and quietly beep.

"It's a homing device connected to our base." Alpha spoke. "It automatically sets the coordinates for the autopilot. If there's ever a situation where no one can fly the chopper, press that button and activate the autopilot. Got it?"

"Yes…sir." Misaki nodded, trying as hard as he could to stow away all the information he had gleaned.

"Good." Alpha replied. Misaki watched as he steered the helicopter past a range of ocean cliffs and out into the tossing sea. He peered ahead in slight confusion and slowly saw a dark splotch on the horizon. As they approached, Misaki made out the contours of the small tropical island, discretely concealed by the fog and waves of the surrounding waters. In short order Alpha guided the chopper down onto a landing pad in a small clearing. The area resembled a sort of military base, with a concrete training fields and a steel-lined building for barracks.

The blades of the chopper slowly came to a halt and Nowaki yanked open the door, hopping out with Delta. Miyagi stood and Shinobu immediately took his arm, guiding him down carefully out onto the ground. Misaki also began to follow them, but as he stepped down from the helicopter, a blow of exhaustion smacked into his head and he crumpled onto his knees, his limbs beginning to shake.

Nowaki began to hurry towards him, but Alpha stepped forward, snaking an arm underneath the teen's shoulders and hauling him up. Misaki groaned quietly and tried to straightened his legs, but found all his strength dried up.

"Digamma?" Nowaki said worriedly, placing the back of his hand on the boy's forehead. "Are you all right?"

"I—think so…" Misaki stammered. "…Don't know what came over me."

"Post activation exhaustion." Alpha replied coolly, looping Misaki's arm around his neck. "You'll be fine in a couple of hours."

Alpha took Misaki and the rest of the group inside the building and down a corridor, where a long line of bunk beds were. He set the sixth down on a mattress, and Misaki immediately felt his eyes begin to close with fatigue. All the memories of the day glided through his head in one violent, confusing reel, and as Misaki drifted into unconsciousness, he breathed his dead brother's name one last time in heartache.

* * *

"Get up, Digamma."

Misaki was roused from sleep by a hand that shook his shoulder, and as he awoke, he found Delta standing over him with his arms crossed and his face stern. The teen slowly sat up, and found himself feeling infinitely better than the night before. He also noticed that although he hadn't eaten since yesterday, he didn't feel that hungry or thirsty.

Hiroki cleared his throat roughly and Misaki quickly stood, looking at his elder with a curious gaze.

"Come on," Delta said, heading out of the room. Misaki followed him out of the building, past the landing pad, and over to another expanse of concrete about a hundred feet away. Near the perimeter of the lot sat a couple steel barrels and a few crates. Misaki glanced around at the distant tropic greenery, the morning air rich and humid from the surrounding water.

"Umm," He asked hesitantly. "Hir—er Delta…what are we doing out here?"

"Training," Delta replied briskly, walking over to the pile of barrels. He picked up an object from one of the crates and held in firmly, turning back to Misaki with calculated eyes.

BANG!

Misaki yelped as Hiroki fired the handgun directly at him, the bullet evading his side by only a couple inches. The boy leapt out of the way, but Hiroki fired again, nearly clipping his shoulder.

"St—Stop!" He cried, bracing his arms in front of his face. "Why are you doing this?"

"Don't just evade the bullets," Hiroki said coolly, already aiming his next shot. "Predict where they'll go. Sense what your enemy is thinking."

"But you're not my enemy." Misaki whispered, quivering in fear. "Right?"

"During training, everyone who attacks you is your enemy. So fight back, and learn to survive in battle. Otherwise even a superhuman like you won't last a minute."

Delta fired the gun again and Misaki clamped his teeth together in fear, and when the switch in his molar clicked, his felt power surge into his limbs again. He jumped to the right and fully evaded Hiroki's shot, and when he saw him aim the gun again, he was able to see the trajectory of the attack clearly.

Delta grunted approvingly as he saw the boy begin to get in the game, and he set the handgun back on the barrel, reaching down and picking up a full sized rifle. He saw fear rise in Misaki's eyes again, but this time it was coupled with a bit of confidence. The fourth allowed himself a tiny smile as he aimed yet again.

By the time he was done with this half pint, there wouldn't be so much confidence in his bright little eyes.

In a world like this, he had to ready for the highest brutality imaginable, because that's what they were up against.

* * *

From the door of the barrack building, Nowaki watched Hiroki fire away at Digamma, and though his face was set in a calm expression, inside his stomach and heart churned. After firing several consecutive shots, Hiroki grabbed the rifle by the butt and raced forward, charging Misaki and smashing the gun into his abdomen. The boy hadn't anticipated the movement and stumbled back, coughing and panting in pain. Nowaki winced at the display and pulled his eyes away, heading back inside. He walked to the far end of the corridor and took a left, where a control room was. Nowaki reached out and punched in the four-digit code for the lock and opened it, entering the dark room where Alpha was pouring over blueprints and monitoring the radar. This island had been a military base about a decade back, and now that it was abandoned, it was a prime place to wait, watch, and plan. Alpha barely glanced up at Beta came in, his eyes still fixated on the intricate map.

"What is it?" He muttered, standing and rolling his stiff shoulders. "Turn over," He commanded the map, which instantly flipped itself.

"It's about Hiro-san." Nowaki replied, keeping his face impassive. "I don't think it's a good idea to let him train Digamma."

Akihiko peered up incredulously.

"Why is that?"

Nowaki swallowed hard and replied.

"Because…I know he won't hold back."

Alpha raised an eyebrow musingly.

"I realize that Beta, that's why I chose him."

Nowaki bristled, but kept his expression cool.

"But why? It's not fair to him, and it's certainly not fair to Digamma. He's just a child!"

Alpha finally met Beta's eyes, and scoffed under his breath.

"Do you think our enemies will take into consideration that he's just a child? No. And do you know why that is? Because he is the most developed 'experiment' out of all of us. The FMA is using every means at their disposal to capture us, and they want him most of all.

"In this situation, are our enemies inclined to show mercy? No, which is why I told Hiroki not too either. The more we can make that kid realize what kind of situation he's in, the better prepared he will be when it's our turn to make a move."

Alpha walked away from the table over to a desk, where a chessboard was set up, the white and black pieces scattered in various positions. He picked up a white pawn, flipping it between his fingers.

"We have a choice, Beta," He said, moving the pawn a square forward. "We can keep him ignorant as he is, and have another pawn…Or, we can turn him into a rook. A superhuman who can demolish everything in his way…just like I did with Hiroki, and just like he did with you."

Alpha stared at a black rook.

"Move!" He barked. The piece immediately charged forward, knocking down the white pawn and sending it clattering onto the floor. Alpha glanced back up at Beta. The second's face was still calm, but his eyes were filled with unwavering defiance.

The first sighed and went back to his map.

"Hiroki trains him. That's my final decision. Coddle him all you want otherwise, but make sure he's battle ready."

Nowaki's chest rose with a heavy sigh as he turned around.

"It's still not right." He said quietly, exiting the door with the final word. He headed back down the hall, his eyes fixed on the floor as he pondered.

He sighed again, stopping and leaning his arm against the wall. Another cry of terror came from outside and Nowaki's brow furrowed in anger.

It wasn't right. None of this was right…

But then again, the world they had entered in the past few months wasn't exactly a place for morality to survive. The second hung his head and closed his eyes, trying to hold onto to whatever pieces of himself were left in his inhuman body.

* * *

**Yay! Real chapter this time!**

**Thank you all again for your support in this freaking hellhole of a website.**

**Someone asked how I came up with the codenames of the characters, so here's a bit on that:**

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Digamma are the first six letters of the Greek alphabet, and are also used as numbers. Akihiko is obvious Alpha for a number of spoilers, and I thought certain people would be ticked if I didn't at least make Nowaki Beta :) :) :)

Miyagi is Gamma because in chemist, Gamma particles are so neutral and small that they can pass through objects and people, and Miyagi has the ability to see through walls when he is having a vision of the future.

Hiroki is Delta because the symbol of Delta, a triangle, is used in an equation to represent heat.

And Shinobu is Epsilon because it just comes after Delta. Good enough.

Misaki is Digamma, though that letter actually isn't used in modern day Greek, so it's a lost, outdated number. I'm sure there could be tons of sybolism there, but I'm a bit too lazy to try and figure that out right now, so let's just say it made for a catchy title.

I also want to take this opportunity to tell you guys a bit about the anime this is based off of. I'm thrilled so many people want to watch 009 Cyborg Soldier after reading this, so here's some really interesting junk on it:

It was actually first written in 1964 by Shotaro Ishinomori, and the nine cyborgs were actually the first superhero team to ever be written in Japanese manga. So it's pretty much their equivalent of our Justice League, and there is even some evidence that this anime was an inspiration for The X-Men comics.

The anime has been remade THREE TIMES. The first in 1968, the second in 1979, and the third in 2003 (which is probably the one you are will be watching). What I really love about the animes is they really stick to the style of the original manga. I thought it looked a little goofy at first, but now I really love that they didn't fix what wasn't broken :)

And the biggest news of all: WE ARE GETTING A MOVIE THIS WINTER! *GIANT FANGIRL SQUEE! *

I've seen trailers for both an animated AND a live action, and I can't wait to see how this pans out.

**So dear readers, I hope that you continue to enjoy the story and also dig into the masterpiece that it was based off of. :)**

**Love, **

**TBF101**

**P.S. I am please to announce that I have found a new home for my lemon fics :) Visit me at yourfanfiction dot com under this same name.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Trapped**

"Uhh!" Misaki yelped as he hit the ground, the force of the fall driving the breath from his lungs. He closed his eyes and panted, wincing at the pain that shot through nearly every part of his body.

A scuffle next to his head caused fear to race through his veins yet again, but not having much strength left, the boy shut his eyes tighter, waiting for another blow to rain on him.

"That's enough for today." Delta's voice gruffed. Misaki's eyes fluttered open and he raised his head warily to stare at the other man.

Hiroki glanced down at the teen, his face impassive as he saw Misaki struggle to get back up. With an inaudible sigh, Hiroki slung the rifle over his shoulder and approached the sixth. Ignoring the panicked flinch that jerked Misaki's body, Hiroki grabbed the teen under the shoulder and hauled him up. The fourth unceremoniously supported the boy and half dragged him back to the building.

He lowered Misaki down to sit on the concrete floor of the corridor, and the teen gritted his teeth as his battered muscles quivered from strain.

"Wait here." Hiroki muttered, turning and heading down the left hall. Misaki rested his head against the wall, his jaw still clenched in frustration. Where exactly would he go? He was on a forgotten island with five runaway experiments, one of which had just spent the entire day thrashing him for reasons he barely understood.

The weight and pressure of his situation bloomed through his aches and pains, and Misaki folded his arms around himself, his eyes beginning to water. But when he heard quiet footsteps coming from down the hall, he quickly wiped the moisture away.

"Digamma?"

Misaki chin lifted at the sound of the warm voice, and he saw Nowaki heading down the corridor, Delta following behind with disinterest.

"Thank you Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured to the fourth. Hiroki nodded briefly and headed down the opposite hall as Nowaki kneeled in front of Misaki, his brow creasing at the sight of the boy's face.

"Goodness, you're bleeding quite a bit," The second said quietly, gently touching his fingertips to Misaki's forehead. He winced slightly and brought his own hand up, finding a large bump near his temple crusted over with blood.

"Can you stand?" Beta asked gently. Misaki was about to shake his head, but unknowingly shifted his legs and found that the pain had lessened significantly. Nowaki held out his hand and helped the teen up, and Misaki's eyebrows creased as he discovered that the aches in his muscles were already dulling. Sensing his bafflement, Nowaki gave a small smile and gestured down the hall.

"Come on, let's get you patched up."

Misaki followed Beta back into what looked like a medical room, with a bench and cabinets full of pill bottles. Nowaki began to pull out a container of gauze as Misaki sank down onto the bench, glancing around warily.

"This is my little office." Nowaki said lightheartedly, sitting next to the teen and gently cleaning his wound.

"Office?" Misaki murmured, his physical pain somewhat waning in the presence of the friendly man.

"Yeah," Nowaki smiled. "I used to be a medical student, so I'm the unofficial doctor of the group."

Misaki nodded, flinching slightly as Nowaki taped a patch of gauze over the side of his forehead.

"How do you feel? Do you want me to check you over?" The second asked. The teen shifted around a bit and silently shook his head. Not seeing anymore open wounds, Nowaki nodded.

"Well, why don't you follow me and we'll see what there is to eat around here," Beta smiled. "You haven't eaten in two days so you're probably hungry."

* * *

Not an hour later, Misaki and Nowaki sat in the base's mess room, tasting the stew Nowaki had made. And although the second had claimed he'd just "thrown it together," Misaki felt his taste buds come alive at the first bite. The teen began to chew hungrily, feeling as though he'd not tasted anything in months. However, when he tried to recall the last time he'd eaten, he came up blank.

Dazed and confused, Misaki took another spoonful, and bit into something he knew very well.

"…Beta…"

Nowaki looked up.

"Yes?"

"Is there… sweet potato in this?"

Nowaki nodded slowly, not sure what the boy had on his mind.

"Um yes, I believe there's some in there, though they were freeze dried….why?"

"Well," The teen said quietly. "I…I think I made it before…back when I was with my brother. But…it's weird…I'm having a hard time remembering."

Nowaki's blue eyes softened in empathy.

"Well, there is a reason for that Digamma…or at least, we have a theory."

Misaki's eyes widened and he looked up anxiously.

"You see," Beta continued. "When we were experimented on…it's likely that they gave us drugs to dull our memories…so we wouldn't remember who we were. Even now, we all still struggle to recall things, and most flashbacks seem to happen as a result of a sensory trigger, like what you just experienced."

The teen's face had paled at the disclosure and Nowaki quickly tried to give him even the slightest bit of reassurance.

"But you know," He said. "It gets much easier with time. Why, Hiro-san and I have managed to remember a good deal of our lives before. I'm sure Gamma and Alpha have too."

"…What about Epsilon?" Misaki asked quietly, staring at his food.

"…Um well," Nowaki replied hesitantly. "Shinobu…he's a bit of an exception, but I'm not the person to ask about that."

When Misaki continued to pick at his meal in silence, Nowaki continued their conversation while also trying not to pry into the teen's fragile psyche.

"How are you feeling now? Physically, I mean."

"Better…I guess. My body doesn't hurt anymore."

"Mmm, that's good. If you haven't noticed, besides gaining our powers, our bodies were also rebuilt to sustain remarkable homeostasis. In other words, we heal quickly. I imagine that bump on your head will be gone within the hour."

The teen nodded again and even without Alpha's telepathy, Nowaki could sense what Misaki was thinking.

What did it matter if your body could heal if your mind was trapped in pain?

Nowaki sighed under his breath, the unanswered question pacing around his head as well.

Misaki finished his stew and stood, picking up his empty bowl.

"…Where should I put this?" He murmured.

"Just in the sink in the kitchen," Nowaki replied, gesturing to the next room. "Thank you, Misaki."

The teen headed away and Nowaki turned his head as he heard the door to the main hallway open. Miyagi came in, following the path of the walls with his fingers.

"Whoo—wee," He yawned. "I can smell dinner all the way from down the hall. Stew is it, Beta?"

"Yes Gamma," Nowaki smiled.

"I don't need to see the future in order to tell that it's gonna be good." The blind one laughed.

"Did you train Epsilon today?" Nowaki asked, reaching over to the stew pot and serving the third a heaping bowl.

"Yes, yes," Miyagi replied, finding a seat somewhat clumsily and sitting down. "He's getting a little better. His robin now actually has a wing now."

Nowaki chuckled.

"That's progress. Someday he'll be able to turn into an elephant and pick you up."

"Good. Then that brat can carry this old man around." Gamma remarked with a wide smile. However, the expression didn't last long.

"By the way Beta, Shinobu will be coming in here soon. He was pretty frustrated during our work so make sure he doesn't come into contact with Delta or anyone who could set him off."

"Of course." Nowaki said in agreement. However, the second's thoughts immediately went back to Digamma who was in the kitchen, and he hoped the traumatized teen wouldn't have to collide with the fifth in his current state.

"Hello Digamma." Miyagi said. Nowaki glanced around and found Misaki standing in the kitchen doorway, looking silently at the two men.

"…Hello…Gamma." The boy replied.

"Would you like to sit down?" The blind one asked kindly.

"Um…no thanks," Misaki said timidly. "I'm…going to go sleep for awhile…"

"Do you remember where the barracks are?" Nowaki asked.

"Yes…"

"All right," Nowaki smiled. "Sleep well."

Misaki nodded and began to head towards the door, but when he reached for the knob, it twisted itself and flew open, revealing a raged-face Epsilon. The younger blonde glared daggers at Misaki as he walked past, giving him a brutal shove.

"Watch where you're going." He snarled. But his expression turned to slight shock as he felt a shove from behind.

"No, you watch it!" Misaki barked, both of his fists clenched and shaking. Shinobu turned and balled his hands as well, staring at the newcomer haughtily.

"You better be careful stupid. I'd wipe the floor with you in an instant!"

"Then why don't you try!" Misaki yelled back, his entire body beginning to quiver with anger. The teen didn't know what was coming over him, but the pressure and emotion he was feeling was far too great to suppress. It engulfed his mind in one colossal wave of anger and fear and depression, and he found himself lashing out at the fifth with an intensity he'd never felt.

"Hah! I don't have time to waste on you," Shinobu sneered. "You're weak and everyone knows it! I bet your whole family was weak, so no wonder your brother's dead!"

"EPSILON!" Nowaki roared. "STOP IT!" But it was too late.

"SHUT UP!" Misaki shrieked, his face contorted in agony. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY BROTHER!"

One of the teen's fists streaked forward and he punched Shinobu straight in the mouth, knocking him a few steps back. The blonde gritted his teeth and retaliated, racing forward and returning the blow. A few brief seconds saw the boys falling to the floor in a heap, their arms and legs thrashing each other without restraint. But the mention of Takahiro had fueled Misaki's fire to a far greater degree of violence. He managed to get Shinobu onto his back and punched him again and again, and when Shinobu tried to hit him back, Misaki snatched his wrists and pinned them to the floor. The sixth's chest heaved with exertion and emotion and he was about to continue their fight, when something happened that he didn't expect.

A shriek of pain jumped from Shinobu's mouth and his eyes went wide as saucers, his skin draining of blood.

"NO! STOP! STOP IT!" He screamed, tears beginning to flow from his eyes.

"I'm not even hurting you!" Misaki yelled back. But Shinobu didn't even seem to hear him. The younger boy's body began to shake uncontrollably and he kept screaming those same words like his life depended on them.

Suddenly, Misaki felt a strong grip on his shoulder and he was yanked off Shinobu and pressed against the wall.

"What the hell are you two doing!" Alpha hissed. Misaki's eyes widened as he saw their leader corner him, but his mind was only consumed with thoughts of his brother and the weight of his situation.

"Do you have any idea what we're up against?" The first barked to both of the teens. "The only way we are going to survive this is if we all put aside our petty differences and work as a unit! You're playing into the enemy's hands so you damn well better shape up and—"

Alpha could have gone on, but as he looked back to Misaki and saw his face, he stopped. Digamma's eyes had flooded with tears and his breath came in short, gasping sobs. The teen crumpled to the floor and began to cry violently, holding his head in his hands.

The first sighed heavily, glancing at the two bawling teens before motioning to Beta. He then reached down and gently pulled Misaki up onto his feet. The teen kept his eyes low, but his sobs quieted as he felt a large, cool hand ruffle his hair. His big brother had often done the same thing to calm him down, and having that action repeated made him both relieved and brokenhearted.

Beta finally made it over to them and began to help Shinobu up, but the blonde shoved his hands away and raced over towards Miyagi, burying his face in the third's chest and shaking with sobs.

With a silent look, Nowaki took Misaki from Alpha and ushered him out of the room and back to the barracks, tears still streaming down the young one's face.

* * *

**KiyameHikari-chan, cacoethesadoxography, WattaAne, Latenightthoughts, and Don't Preach- thank you all for your awesome reviews! ^_^ I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading as much as I'm enjoying writing! **

**Merurari- yes, this fic is actually based on that anime. It's mentioned in the notes for the first chapter and the fourth chapter as well. Thanks for the review!  
**

**Hope you all are having a great summer!  
**

**Love,  
**

**TBF101  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Ghosts**

Night had finally fallen on the island and in a dark lounge on the other side of the building, Alpha, Gamma, and Delta sat in silence. Hiroki reached for a second cigarette out of the community pack, pressing his thumb to the tip until embers sparked and set it ablaze. He took a long inhale then blew the smoke out in a stream, leaning back on the old couch with a heavy sigh.

From the chair opposite, Miyagi sat, his chin resting on his elbow as he smoked his third joint. And even though his eyes were permanently hidden, it was clear to the fourth that the man was deep in thought.

Hiroki scoffed under his breath. He'd heard about Digamma thrashing that other brat from Akihiko. In fact, Nowaki was still in the barracks with the little punk trying to calm him down. To be honest, Hiroki was both surprised and not surprised by his freak out. On one hand, he didn't think the kid had it in him. Sure, when they'd trained earlier he'd managed to get up a semblance of a defense, but had never even tried to attack Hiroki directly.

But then again, in spite of the kid's natural timidity, Hiroki knew exactly how traumatizing this situation was to first comprehend. It was little wonder Digamma cracked after being hauled here and beaten half to death. In fact, Hiroki remembered something similar happening when Akihiko had first started training him.

He glanced to his left, where the first sat on the other side of the couch, the charred butt of his first cigarette still set between his teeth. Like Miyagi, Akihiko was ruminating intently, his fingers drumming nonstop on the armrest. It was a habit he had acquired when he'd cut back on the smokes. Having some recollection of their childhood together, Hiroki had been in shock and awe when Akihiko had first voiced his decision, though it was for an invaluable reason. Alpha's power could only be channeled through his vocal commands, so it was imperative that his throat and lungs remain intact.

Since then, Akihiko had managed to cut back to only one cig a day, a fact that Hiroki still couldn't wrap his head around, along with the fact that he was now smoking at least four a day. But as their limited supply of alcohol had run dry within weeks, smokes were now the only vice they had left to indulge in.

Plus, as his own abilities were honed, Hiroki found himself drawn to other forms of fire, reveling in a fascination he had never had with the element. Though he still controlled himself as Nowaki had a distaste for the habit and it's accompanying smell.

But the smoking thing aside, Hiroki was just amazed at the amount of control Akihiko had cultivated over the six months they'd been here. Akihiko was even more reserved than before, and yet Hiroki could better sense what he was planning, having been told everything by the man himself.

Gamma suddenly shifted, blowing out his own ring of smoke.

"Beta got Digamma to sleep." He murmured. Alpha glanced up briefly and nodded.

"Just our luck," Hiroki growled. "That the sixth would be a damn kid. We already had our hands full with Epsilon."

"They're refining their research," Akihiko replied. "Younger minds are easier to brainwash. He didn't even remember his own name when he woke up."

Hiroki snorted, snubbing out his third smoke and taking another as he recalled his own awakening. He was actually the only person to not only to immediately remember his name, but the circumstances that had lead to his capture and incarceration. And naturally, when he awoke and saw himself plugged into Bill Nye's laboratory, he had proceeded to thrash all nearby equipment and personnel, which was greatly accelerated by his newly given fire powers.

"Even still," The fourth grumbled. "While they might have been great science fodder for the FMA, they're a handful of hormones and drama for us. It's going to take twice as long just to get them stabilized, not to mention the fact that they're already trying to kill each other."

Miyagi sighed heavily.

"Well, it's no wonder they act like this. They're two young teens who've just had everything they've ever known ripped away from them. As Alpha said, we adults were harder to brainwash because we were able to process things with a bit more clarity."

Hiroki's gaze darkened and he stared at the sightless man as he rose from his seat. Miyagi could sense his gaze, but didn't react. The fourth took his half charred cig and walked towards the door, stopping as he put his hand on the doorknob.

"I don't care how old a person is…" He said bitterly. "It's still hard."

The fourth shut the door behind him, leaving the Alpha and Gamma to ponder his words. However, a little flash of thought came into Miyagi's mind, and he also stood, feeling his way for the door.

"Where are you going?" Alpha murmured, still staring at his tapping fingers.

"Hah," Miyagi laughed. "You didn't ask Delta that."

"That's because I already know. He's gone to train."

"Correct." Gamma smiled, tapping one of his metal eye plates. "But as for me, I think there's some air that needs to be cleared up between Shinobu and Digamma."

"Fine. Just tread lightly." Alpha warned. "I didn't peg that kid as a time bomb, but he had quite the breakdown. Make sure he doesn't have another so soon."

Miyagi chuckled, clutching the doorknob.

"Oh yes, I know Alpha. You forget, I see everything. And I know how important that child is to you, leader…"

Alpha's silver brow flickered dangerously and he turned towards the door, but Gamma had already disappeared.

* * *

Misaki let out a slight grunt as he opened his eyes. However, it wasn't morning light that greeted him, and the clock on the wall told him he'd only been out for a couple of hours. He was surprised that he'd been able to sleep so little, considering that Beta had promised him a good night's sleep.

After his fight with Shinobu, all the things wrong in the world had crashed down on his mind in one big heap, and the teen hadn't been able to stop crying for hours. His weeping was so frantic and heartbreaking that Nowaki had finally run back to his office and come back with a syringe. His mind and body weary, Misaki had allowed Nowaki to give him the injection and he'd fallen into a quiet sleep.

The teen shifted around in his bed and sat up, combing back some of his chocolate bangs. However, a movement stirred in the corner of his eye and Misaki nearly cried out as he saw a person sitting on the bed next to his.

"Digamma," The person spoke. Misaki immediately recognized the voice as Gamma. "Can you tell this old man what time it is?"

"Uhh…." The teen stuttered, glancing back at the clock. "It's 1:30….why?"

"Hah," The blind one half laughed. "I was right on time. My visions are getting more accurate by the minute."

Misaki moved to sit on the edge of his bed, still trying to make out Miyagi's face in the darkness.

"…What…do you want?" He asked quietly.

"I wanted to talk to you Digamma." Miyagi replied.

"…About what?" Misaki murmured, hugging a stiff pillow between his arms.

"Shinobu."

At even the mention of the fifth's name, Misaki bristled, clenching his fists defiantly to mask the ache that gnawed at his heart.

"What about _him?_"

Miyagi sighed.

"Misaki, there's something I'd like to say. I hope you can find it in your heart to—"

"I'm not apologizing," Misaki cut in bitterly. "I'm not sorry for what I did. He deserved it—"

"Let me finish," Miyagi said flatly, trying to regain the helm of their topic. "Misaki, I hope you can find it in your heart to _forgive_ Shinobu."

Misaki's lips parted.

"What?"

"Yes," Miyagi replied. "What Shinobu did to you was terribly uncalled for, and I apologize on his behalf. But, I would also like to you a little about him. It may help to clear up any misunderstandings."

"Misunderstandings?" Misaki said with a frown. "Like how Delta beat me black and blue, and Epsilon said all those horrible things to me, and our so called 'leader' just sits back and yells at us to shape up! _Those _misunderstandings?"

Miyagi gave a halfhearted chuckle.

"Something like that. You see Misaki, there are many virtues in life, even ones so black as ours, but one I find to be the most valuable is empathy."

"What does empathy have to do with anything? Nobody sure shows it here." Misaki muttered.

"Yes, and that is unfortunate. You see, I know a great amount about the other four, especially Shinobu and Hiroki. And one thing I can tell you is that they struggle with empathy because the pain they hold inside themselves is great. It engulfs them to the point that they lash out at those who do not deserve it. But…the first time I saw you in my visions, I sensed…that you were different."

Some of the anger slipped away from Misaki's eyes, and he stared down at his lap in thought.

"And so," Miyagi continued. "I'd like to tell you a little bit about Shinobu, and I hope that by learning about his past, you can see why he does what he does. I'm not asking you to change your opinion of him, but rather…just listen, and draw your own conclusions."

The teen absentmindedly chewed his bottom lip, but after a few moments, he quietly murmured,

"Go ahead…"

"Thank you," Miyagi smiled. "Well for starters I can tell you that Shinobu and I knew each other before this whole mess. I was married to his sister and he was my brother-in-law. However, after time she and I got a divorce. I thought my time with their family was at an end, but I was indeed very mistaken.

"One day Shinobu told me to meet him at a café, claiming he wanted to talk to me about something. I didn't have the foggiest of what it was, but unfortunately I was never able to keep that date. Shortly after the invitation my apartment was stormed by an unlisted division of soldiers and I was taken to the FMA as a random test subject, where I became Gamma, the third.

"Alpha, Beta, and Delta broke me out right after my transformation and while we camped out at this base, I began to have visions of a blonde boy, tied to a laboratory table and screaming at the hands of a monster."

Gamma stopped at this words, and Misaki felt a strange shiver creep down his spine.

"And with each passing dream, I knew with certainty that that boy was Shinobu, and that he had also been taken. But I later found out, that it was much worse…

"Misaki," Miyagi said, his voice growing sober. "If I might ask, do you remember anything about your transformation? The experiments they performed on you?"

Misaki shook his head, his eyes wide with fearful curiosity.

"Well, unfortunately…" Miyagi said. "Shinobu does. Both he and his sister Risako were kidnapped and taken in as test subjects, but while they immobilized him for the surgery, they did not put him under. You see, Shinobu was awake for his entire operation, and he watched in unimaginable horror while those scientists cut him open, experimented on his organs, and rebuilt him to become a machine. And not only that… but his sister was on the table right next to him, and they had intended to only use her for parts. Shinobu had to hear his sister scream as they hacked her up and shoved her organs into his body."

Misaki's mouth gapped in horror, and he hugged himself tighter as visions of blood and gore danced before his eyes.

Miyagi took a deep, sighing breath and resumed.

"I don't need to tell you what it's like to lose a sibling, Misaki, but I do need you to understand what those events did to Shinobu. When we rescued him, he didn't even want to live, let alone fight back. It has taken me—er I mean _us_ months to get that boy back on his feet. And even though he may have regained his will to live, he has ghosts that will haunt him for the rest of his life."

Miyagi stood and carefully reached forward, placing his hand on top of Misaki's head.

"I do not mean to belittle your own circumstances Misaki, and I am truly sorry about what happened to you and your brother. But indulge this old man and think about this: the only difference between you and Shinobu is empathy, and though I am blind, I can clearly see that it resides in your heart. And that one little virtue will save the lives of more people than you could ever know."

Misaki titled his head in confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that no words would come. Miyagi quietly bid him a goodnight and the teen laid back down on his bed. His head was full of thoughts and worries and questions, but luckily, there was just enough of Nowaki's injection left to let him drift back off into a restful sleep.

* * *

**Alexisz, Pengwens, Suki-desu, KiyameHikari-chan, and Artemis Fortune- Thank you all for your awesome reviews! ^_^ They makes me so happy!**

**Sesshomaru94- Like all my stories, all questions will be answered in time :) So glad your liking this and I LOVE YOUR AVATAR! Howl! SQUEE! :D **

**WattaAne- I am debating about whether or not I want to put a lemon in this, but even if I do, it will be a long ways off :) Thanks so much for your kind words! You ROCK!**

**Cerberus Revised- Yes, although I'm not a big fan of Nosaki myself (waaay too sweet even for my sweet tooth) it seems to have worked well here because Misaki isn't acting like himself. I kind of like how off guard everyone was when I had Misaki punch Shinobu instead of backing off. Tee hee hee...I suprised people XD**

**Yes there are a lot of unanswered questions because the pace of this story is a bit odd. It moves fast in terms of events but slow in terms of character development, whereas my other stories are completely opposite. But there will be a nice fulfilling Egoist moment coming up soon just for my favorite dog. So glad your reading and so glad you like! ^_^ Huggles!**

**Next up we have a bit of Terrorist and then some Egoist :) Once again you all have my thanks for the favs, reviews, and subscriptions!**

**With Love,  
**

**TBF101  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Nightmare**

_Stormy grey eyes were assaulted as a blindingly white light was flicked on. He clamped his lids shut, but his vision still struggled painfully to adjust. _

"_Oh, is the light too bright poppet?" A cold chuckle rang. At even the sound of that monster's voice, the boy's panic escalated, and he thrashed his arms and legs, trying to flee at all costs. _

_But as he opened his pained eyes, he saw the steel cuffs clamped around his wrists and ankles, binding him to the cold metal table that rubbed his naked skin as he struggled. _

_A long shadow rose and blocked out the light like a solar eclipse, and the boy bit his lip, his pupils dilating with frozen fear. A flash of metal flickered and he let out a muffled whimper as a sharp scalpel ghosted along his chest, leaving the faintest of scratches but drawing no blood. _

_The icy voice spoke again and he shrank in fear, tears beginning to gather at the corners of his eyes. _

"_No need to be frightened my dear," He chuckled from behind his surgical mask. "Your body will house a creation of terrible beauty, all embellished with the mark of my genius…" _

_The boy clamped his eyes shut, trying to suppress a violent sob as he felt the blade kiss his cheek. _

"_Remember this pet" The monster cooed. "You are mine. You are my poppet. My doll. Even if you run, I will still hold your puppet strings. As long as you live…you will never escape me…I am the god of all of you, and I will hold that power for eternity…" _

"_And now," He leaned down, his cold breath on the boy's neck. "Let's see what you're hiding underneath all that lovely skin—"_

A high-pitched scream shot through the dark room as Shinobu awakened, every inch of his body dripping with ice cold sweat. The boy's eyes darted around in terror, and he began to cry in relief that it had all been just a dream. Shinobu wrapped his arms around himself, his tears dripping onto the bed sheets.

A crack of light pierced the darkness and the blonde boy looked up as he saw a shadow grace the doorway.

"Shinobu?" Called a gruff but quiet voice. The fifth immediately threw his covers back and raced over to the doorway, throwing his arms around the figure and bursting into sobs. As memories of the dream circled round and round his head, his knees grew weaker and he crumpled to the floor, hugging the other man's ankles and crying brokenly.

Miyagi's dark brow creased as he heard and felt the state of the teen, and he quietly leaned down to help the boy up. His fingers traced along the walls until he came to the metal rail of the bunk bed, and he sat them both down on the disheveled mattress. Shinobu wrapped his arms around Miyagi's torso and wept a little quieter as he felt the older man's hand caress his shoulders. The third didn't even need to ask if the teen had had a nightmare, it was plain even to those who could not see.

Miyagi sighed inwardly, having hoped to avoid this tonight. The fight with Digamma had set off Shinobu violently, and Miyagi had asked Beta to put him asleep with a sedative. However, it seemed everyone was having difficulty finding rest on this night.

As the minutes ticked by, Shinobu's jarring sobs turned into quiet whimpers. He shifted his tear-streaked face, resting his head in Miyagi's lap and wiping his eyes.

"Miyagi…" His tiny voice creaked out. "I—I dreamed about him again…"

The older man's jaw clenched in anger at the mention of that sick bastard, and he gently wove him fingers through the teen's honey locks.

"He can't hurt you anymore, Shinobu."

"Every time I dream of him," The boy whispered. "He always says the same thing…no matter where I go or what I do…he'll find me. I—I can't escape him Miyagi…he'll find me!"

"No he won't," Miyagi countered, trying to keep his temper in check. "And even if he does, he'll have to go through me and four other super humans! And god knows Delta has such a vendetta that the rest of us probably won't even get a punch in."

Shinobu hid his eyes, clutching Miyagi's knees with his small hands.

"…You don't know what he's really like Miyagi…he's ruthless and brutal…He know all our weaknesses! He knows how to destroy us without even lifting a finger! I don't care what Alpha says, we can't beat them…"

A large, dragging tear was about to fall down the boy's cheek, when he felt a long, rough finger smooth along the side of his face, catching the drop before it could fall.

"Shinobu," Miyagi murmured calmly. "The voices in your head that keeps telling you we can't make it, that there is no hope… They are not the voice of reality, but only of your doubt and fear. And believe me…they are not the ones to be listened to."

"But, Miyagi…"

"In a way Shinobu, you are right: that man still has power over you…because you allow your fear of him to overwhelm your mind."

Shinobu's eyes widened and he sank further into Miyagi's lap.

"…I—I can't stop being afraid Miyagi," He choked out. "I don't know how…"

"Oh Shinobu," The third sighed, smoothing the hair on the boy's head. "There is no way to complete erase fear, it's ingrained the human soul. We must not seek to eliminate fear…but to control it, put it in true perspective."

"…How?"

Miyagi leaned down, his warm lips kissing the boy's temple.

"By being brave Shinobu."

The blonde's brow twitched, and silence took over as he ruminated.

"…Miyagi…" He finally whispered. "I don't know if I can… I just…don't have it in me anymore."

"That's nonsense," Miyagi said with a brief flicker of a smile. "Even now, my eyes still remember the face of a stupid brat who didn't let anything stand in his way. A boy who was braver than any person I had ever known."

Shinobu lowered his eyes as if to hide from the man's nonexistent gaze. When he didn't answer, Miyagi continued.

"I know you still have it in you Shinobu. And, if you think you can't be brave for yourself, then do this old man a favor: try to be brave for me. Be brave for the others…and be brave for your sister, Risako…"

Shinobu's eyes flickered open and he slowly lifted his head.

"And more than anything, you little brat," The third teased. "Have a bit of faith in your abilities."

For the first time in their conversation, Shinobu's expression of melancholy shifted to one of grumbling anger and he let out a resentful scoff.

"I mean it," Miyagi scolded. "Your powers are growing more every day."

"Growing _worse_." The blonde growled back. "I can barely change into a stupid bird."

"Alpha already explained that to you," Miyagi retorted. "We pulled you out of the lab in the middle of a incubation period. You have to work harder to manifest your powers because you aren't fully developed."

"Well it's not fair!" Shinobu shot back. "That stupid Delta and Digamma barely even have to think to tap into their powers! Meanwhile I bust my butt all day, every day, and I never see any results!"

"Oh yeah?" Miyagi scoffed. "Well, guess what brat…Alpha isn't the only one with theories."

Shinobu kept his face set in a scowl, but waited for Miyagi to continue.

"What I think," The third spoke. "Is that Delta, Digamma, me, and the rest are geysers."

Shinobu's blonde eyebrows rose skeptically.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, some geysers release powerful bursts of water regularly, but in small amounts. Misaki may be able to tap into his super speed whenever he wants, but it does wear off eventually until he gets his next 'burst' of power. You, on the other hand are a volcano."

"A volcano?"

"Yep." Miyagi said. "Right now, all your true powers are bubbling under the surface, building up more heat and pressure than all of us. And someday all that pressure is going to peak, and your powers are going to explode into something absolutely incredible. You'll be able to completely master your invisibility and change in hundreds if not _thousands_ of animals. Who knows, you could even turn into a griffin, or a chimera."

Even while Shinobu's eyes had lifted in hope at Miyagi's words, he still managed a snort.

"Stupid…Griffins and chimera's aren't organic animals, they're hybrids. It's chemically impossible for me to change into one."

"Oh yeah?" Miyagi replied. "Well guess what… it should be chemically impossible for me to have visions of the future. And if I recall Shinobu, have I ever been wrong?"

The blonde boy sat up, staring at the metal plates that covered the third's eyes.

"…No…you haven't."

A warm smile spread across Miyagi's face and he sighed in contentment as Shinobu wrapped his thin arms around his neck, their lips beginning to touch and caress. Miyagi laid down on the bed, pulling the boy on top of him and unzipping both of their white jumpsuits.

Morning light began to creep into the shades, but the boy and blind one were already lost in the soothing darkness of each other's bodies.

* * *

**Hello everybody! :) Thank you all for your patience with my rather slacky updates. And let me say, HOLY COW! I can't believe how many of you are reviewing! ^_^ You make me so very very happy. **

**And having said that, I'm sorry to say there will be no lemons at this time...at least not yet, though I am going to bump the rating up to 'M' just to be safe. But right now, I'm a little too lost in the angsty badass actiony sludge of this story to worry about romance. But I promise, you will not be bored along the way :) ...I think...**

**Artemis Fortune, Pengwens, WattaAne, KiyameHikari-chan, sesshomaru94, Ricchan14, JoanIncarnate**- GROUP HUG! Thank you all for your awesome reviews! ^_^

**Leigh's Last Laugh-** Glad you're enjoying the story, and I always enjoy the crap out of your reviews. But as many of my readers know, I do have a reputation for going there, coming back, and then going there again ;) Bill Nye? Oh hellz yeaaaaah.

**Monstah-chan**- Being a member of the yaoi cult myself, I couldn't agree more about the ass ramming. Lemons will come...but it is going to be a little while. I have to dish out some more blood, sweat, and angst first just to make the lovin sweeter. I'm so happy you like the story though. To be honest, I was an action writer long before I wrote romance, so I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. Thanks for the review and hope to see you around!

**Ryotanimoto16**- Being a member of the fullmetal alchemist cult myself, I do tee hee whenever I write "the FMA." Your aren't the only one :)

**Fauchocolat**- Oh my dear, your reviews just rocked my socks off! XD You are so awesome and thanks a million for all your feedback! Hugs and cookies!

**Cerberus Revised- **Here you go my dear dog :) even though it's hardly a bright, sunshiny update, I hope you still enjoy it! Kisses to you my lovely muse!

**Bit of Egoist lovin angst is coming up next! I can't thank you all enough for reading!**

**With Love,  
**

**TBF101  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Black**

Miyagi had been correct when he'd sensed that no one in the entire base was getting any sleep that night. Sunrise was imminent, and golden light was beginning to shine upon the murky waters of the surrounding ocean.

Nowaki cast his eyes over to the red heat gathering in the east as he stepped outside, but his eyes didn't linger long. He could faintly hear the sound of gunfire echoing from a nearby clearing, and he silently headed in its direction.

After sending Misaki and Shinobu into fitful rest, he too had tried to close his eyes and fall into black nothingness. However, when the other side of the bed continued to be absent hour after hour, the second found that he could not find peace. And so, he now ventured out to find the person who filled that place.

Even still, Nowaki was cautious as he entered the edge of the clearing, knowing full well that the one training there took his technique very, very seriously. Interruptions were a bad and dangerous idea, and despite his enormous strength, Nowaki stopped cold as he beheld the scene in front of him.

Hiroki stood in the center of the clearing, sweat running down his bared chest as he lifted both his arms and aimed a handgun at a half circle of battered targets. And before Nowaki could even blink, bullets began to fly out of the barrel at a breakneck pace. The second watched in awe as every target was hit dead center, the rounds leaving smothering holes in the wood.

Nowaki looked at his watch and his mouth fell. He took a step forward as Hiroki lowered his arms, his eyes still every bit as focused.

"Hiro-san," He breathed. Delta turned, his eyes widening as he saw Beta. He had been so absorbed in his training he hadn't noticed his surroundings, a fact that made him both embarrassed and angry. Even still, he lowered his eyes as he saw his lover.

"What are you doing here Nowaki?" He muttered, deftly shoving another cartridge into his piece.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki repeated as he approached, his blue eyes wide in disbelief. "You…You fired six bullets in four seconds and hit every target…I've never seen anything like it…"

Hiroki kept his eyes lowered, the scrutiny of his lover and the praise a bit overwhelming.

"Is this what you've been working on for so long?" Nowaki inquired.

"Among other things," Hiroki replied, going over to a crate and replacing his handgun with a rifle.

"That's incredible." Nowaki said.

"Well," Hiroki grunted. "In order to obtain victory, we always have to be one step ahead. And to do that we need to develop more than just our given powers."

Hiroki aimed the rifle at a long-range target and began to fire again. As with everything he did, Hiroki put every cell of his mind and body into accomplishing perfection. Nowaki had always known and loved this about his partner but ever since they had come to the base and started training, the fourth's drive for perfection had turned a shade darker, and despite the extreme situation they were in, it disturbed him. The Hiro-san he cherished was training all day and all night with fire and weapons, barely eating, barely sleeping, barely saying a word…

Nowaki feared that a simple drive was turning into an obsession for perfection, and perfection in marksmanship only had one true purpose. Hiroki would become exactly what those scientists wanted: a killing machine.

This blood red fear blooming in his heart, Nowaki walked up behind Hiroki and put a large hand on his shoulder. At the gentle giant's touch, Hiroki stopped cold and pivoted towards him.

"What is it?"

"You know, Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered somberly. "There is more to our lives than just obtaining victory."

Hiroki raised an eyebrow at Nowaki's comment that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Nowaki," He replied just as sternly. "It's always been our mission to fight and defeat the FMA. And to me, victory is a goal, not an option."

"But there's so much more." Nowaki replied, his own brow creasing in sorrow.

"Like what?" Hiroki snapped bitterly. However, seeing the look of hurt in Nowaki's eyes at his tone, he put down his rifle and sighed penitently.

"Could you elaborate… Nowaki," He asked in a much quieter tone.

"Well Hiro-san…I was thinking of compassion, understanding, and tolerance."

"Those things have no place in war," Hiroki replied firmly. He was about to pick up his gun and resume training when he felt Nowaki's strong hand grip his arm.

"That may be Hiro-san," Nowaki grunted sorrowfully through his teeth. "But if we lose our kindness and compassion then we are nothing but the weapons they created us to be…"

"I'm aware of that," Hiroki shot back, trying to shrug his shoulder away. "But nevertheless, I want to be fully prepared to fight the FMA and take them down."

Nowaki swallowed hard, letting his hand drop. What Hiroki said made more sense than anything. If allowed to, the FMA would no doubt continue their human experiments and brainwashing, and Hiroki and Nowaki had sworn along with Alpha and Gamma that they would do everything in their power to stop that from happening. However, the fire that blazed cold and black in Hiroki's eyes suggested that he had a different purpose for honing his aim, and Nowaki feared what his goal really was.

"Hiro-san," He said as Hiroki loaded another cartridge into the rifle. "I need to ask you something."

"Make it quick," Hiroki replied distractedly.

"Are you fighting because you want to abolish the practices of the FMA…or are you doing it out of revenge?"

Hiroki's cinnamon eyes widened and he lifted his head to stare at Nowaki's pained gaze. And it nearly broke Nowaki's heart when Hiroki didn't say a word in reply.

The giant shook his head in disbelief and stepped forward, reaching out to his lover.

"Hiro-san listen…it doesn't have to be like this. We don't have to stay here. We can leave, and get away from all this. Build new lives for ourselves and live together, just like we did before…"

Hiroki's lip tightened into a disfigured scowl and he turned away.

"That's not possible Nowaki."

"Why not Hiro-san?" Nowaki said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It doesn't have to be like this!"

"Yes it does!"

"WHY?!" Nowaki finally cried, his dam of restraint bursting. "Why Hiro-san!? Why are you so eager to kill for revenge?!"

Hiroki took a step back, entirely unprepared for Nowaki's grievous outburst. But as the giant continued to walk towards him, he found himself being backed against a tree. And the more the Nowaki tried to pry into psyche, the more cornered he felt. Pressure built inside him that needed to be released, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold it back.

"Please Hiro-san!" Nowaki mourned, his blue eyes shining with tears. "Tell me! Because I don't understand!"

"Nowaki stop—"

"TELL ME!" The second cried, his hands whipping forward and pining Hiroki's shoulders. "WHY—"

"Because I can't forgive what they did to you!" Hiroki screamed, clenching his fists so hard that steam began to rise. The volume and emotion in his lover's voice quelled Nowaki's grip and he stumbled back with his mouth agape. Hiroki leaned against the tree, gripping a tight handful of his reddish brown hair.

"Just think about it Nowaki," He whispered with trembling rage. "They took us from our home, they tortured us, tampered with our bodies, stripped us of our rights as human beings!… You were going to be a doctor Nowaki. You were supposed to save lives, not take them! And now look at what _they did!_ They turned you into a weapon just to use and throw away! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM US!"

Both of Hiroki's hands weaved tightly into his hair as he seethed, the rage in his heart blazing as bright as his fire.

"They've taken your life away Nowaki…" He panted, his eyes wide and maniacal. "And I'm going to make them pay for it a thousand times… I'll make sure every last one of them feels the pain you did before I send them all straight to hell!"

Nowaki stood in complete horror as he saw his lover break down. The man before him was holding onto so much anger and hate that it was consuming him, swallowing him into a fanged mouth of black. But in spite of the crazed venom that poured from his mouth…Nowaki was still able to faintly see the old Hiro-san inside, and he immediately stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the shaking form.

"Hiro-san," He whispered. "I'm sorry…I…I had no idea you felt this way…"

Hiroki shuddered as his festering rage began to burn physically, wisps of flame darting off his skin and vanishing into the air. But despite this, Nowaki continued to hold him, thanking fate that his body had been made strong enough to still embrace his lover. He felt Hiroki's panting breaths on his shoulder, and he knew he was trying his best to calm down. Nowaki knew that once his lover was stable, he would try and break their conversation, and the gentle giant had far too much to say for that to happen. And so he held Hiroki tightly and quietly whispered into his ear.

"Hiro-san, listen to me," He said, resting his cold cheek against Hiroki's heated face. "I know that the FMA tried to take our lives away from us… and if they had succeeded I don't know how I would cope. But although they stole our home, our life's work…I can wake up every morning and be thankful, because they didn't take what I treasure most.

"Do…do you remember Hiro-san?" Nowaki said with a melancholy smile. "The day of our awakening? You broke out of your cell without any help and the first thing you did was come find me. When I opened my eyes for the first time, _you_ were the first thing I saw…"

Hiroki sucked in a shaky breath, memories of that day surfacing in his mind.

He had been awakened by Akihiko screaming his name from the hall, all the while trying to fight off several scientists and soldiers. Hiroki's senses and memories flooded back to him in one giant wave and he'd ripped himself off that lab table and busted his way out the door, one word spilling from his lips in a desperate mantra: Nowaki. He raced down the halls and demolished every door in his path with a panic he had never felt before, but still he could not find his lover.

Almost on the verge of screaming, Hiroki broke down one last door and to his horror and relief, found his unconscious partner strapped to another lab table. He'd frantically ripped the metal cuffs away, not even noticing that it should have been impossible for him to do so.

"Nowaki!" He cried. "Nowaki! WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!"

Answering the unmistakable call of his Hiro-san's voice, Nowaki's eyes opened slowly and a quiet smile spread over his face, making tears of reprieve sting in Hiroki's eyes. And in the midst of chaos, the two men along with Akihiko and the rescued Miyagi had fled the base in a stolen helicopter, signaling the start of a long and painful war…

"Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered, pressing his lips to Hiroki's cheek. "No matter what is taken from me, if I have you, then I will always have the will to go on. But…please Hiro-san, if something were to happen to you in battle…I don't know what I'd do…"

Nowaki's arms wrapped tighter around the smaller man at even the thought of losing him to this war, and his words took on a plea of desperation.

"My body is strong Hiro-san, but if I lost you…I would not have the strength to live…So please, promise me that no matter what…you'll guard your life. Because it's the most precious thing I have…"

Several moments of silence went by, but Nowaki's heart lifted in relief as he felt Hiroki nodded into his chest, wrapping his lithe, muscled arms around the giant's waist. Nowaki felt the warm embrace of his smaller lover, and a shiver came over him as he felt the cool breeze at his back.

"Hiro-san," He whispered teasingly. "I'm cold."

In spite of his former anger, the corner of Hiroki's lip curled at the irony of the phrase. He'd often told Nowaki that when they lived together, but now the tables had turned.

"You haven't had any sleep tonight, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured. "Will you come to bed?"

After a few moments, Hiroki nodded, untangling himself and putting his weapons away. He grabbed his shirt from a nearby crate, but kept it off as they slowly walked out of the clearing and back to the barracks.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki piped up as he held the door open. "Would you like to read before you sleep?"

Hiroki tipped his head and thought for a brief moment. This particular topic had long been a bitter one for him, as with his fire powers he couldn't hold books without leaving scorch marks. But when he saw there was a problem, Nowaki had immediately offered to be Hiroki's bookstand, holding them and turning the pages for him while they found a more permanent solution. Although Hiroki sometimes found the other man so distracting it was difficult to actually take in the words, the thought of the action touched him. However, he thought a different situation would be better this night—er morning. He was more tired than he thought.

"Actually Nowaki," Hiroki muttered, combing his fingers through his sweaty hair. "Will you just read to me till I fall asleep?"

Nowaki eyes' softened at his lover's normal gruff voice and he smiled carefreely as they headed back to their room.

"Sure Hiro-san."

* * *

The sun was almost up now, but on the other side of the base, someone sat in a room that was completely devoid of natural light. While all the other superhumans had been trying to fall into peaceful surrender, Alpha on the other hand, had spent the entire night pouring through screen after screen of the many monitors in the control room, his eyes barely taking a rest as he scanned document after document on the blindingly lit screens.

And finally, just as the sun rose over the ocean waves, he saw it.

Akihiko leaned back in his chair as he took in the words a second time, his lips set stiffly even while his eyes took on a cunning gleam. His careful sifting had lead him to a hole in the FMA's figurative fortress, and he knew it was time to lead his troop into it.

There would be no more standing still.

* * *

**Well, now that we are past some of the character development/ angst, we are going to be getting back into some nitty gritty action! :D Yayz! Hope you guys are ready for some fun!**

** Chiho Kazusa, Alexisz, Seshomaru94, Pengwens, Kiyame Hikari-chan, Joan Incarnate, Artemis Fortune, Sakura Flowers Falling, and all the Guests- ** All your reviews make me so happy! ^_^ You guys rock and I just wanna put you all in a room and feed you cookies for all your support!

**Fauchocolat**- cookies to you too! ^_^ Your reviews are always so freaking awesome! Remain curious and I shall fulfill it!

**Leigh's Last Laugh**- Well good thing plenty of "HULK SMASHES!" are on the way then :) So glad you like the story arcs. You're reviews are always so detailed and full and I appreciate them ever so much.

**Kisses to you all!**

**TBF101**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Cliffs**

Not long after Delta and Beta made it to bed, the sun rose, signaling a fresh morning for all. Sunlight streamed through the blinds of the empty barracks room where Misaki slept. Even though there were at least two dozen bunks, nobody else joined him there, having found more private rooms to suit their needs.

The teen's eyes fluttered at the morning light and he slowly sat up as the wheels of his mind began to turn again. Misaki got up and pulled off the cotton shirt and pants that served as his lounging clothes. Everyone had similar garments they'd taken from the military supplies, but few wore them outside of bed. In all honesty, the white body suits they'd first awoken in were much more comfortable, and had many additions built into them as well, such as temperature controls and glowing in the dark. Misaki silently pulled his on, a shiver coursing down his form. The building was always so cold, especially at night. The island itself was quite hot and humid, but it cooled off pretty fast when the sun went down, so Misaki wondered why the air conditioning was always so high.

As he sat down on the bed to pull on his boots, snippets of conversation he'd had with Miyagi began to pop up in his mind. The teen swallowed uncomfortably, a bit at a loss for what he should say to everyone today. Habits of the normal pre-super Misaki leaned towards apologizing to everyone for the shameful inconvenience, but the newest part of his personality forged of stress wondered at whether he'd done anything wrong at all. Shinobu had been the one to start the fight….but still.

With a quiet sigh, Misaki decided to apologize at least to Nowaki and Miyagi…and if Shinobu didn't snarl at him today, maybe he would get one as well. As for Alpha, Misaki didn't know what to think. The guy was locked up all day in his control room, and he sure didn't know what their leader was always up to.

His shoes on, Misaki stood and walked out of the room and into the hall, a little surprised at how empty and quiet the building was. He wandered down the corridor, checking the mess hall and the front room, but no one was around. He had at least expected Nowaki or Miyagi to be up, but seeing as they weren't, he was a little lost at what to do. Misaki thought about going back to the mess hall and cooking some breakfast, but he just didn't feel up to doing it. At the thought, a slight memory stirred at his mind and the teen's brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend it.

"I…I like to cook." He murmured slowly. "I'm good at cooking…"

The small proclamation made a hint of a smile surface, and the teen felt proud that he had uncovered a memory all by himself. The act made him feel much more like Misaki, and less like Digamma.

Even still, he decided not to. He didn't feel hungry and navigating a strange kitchen sounded like more trouble than it was worth. Instead, the teen looked out a nearby window at the trees and the seashore. The quiet and unexplored terrain struck a chord with him, and Misaki went out the front door and headed past the concrete landing pad, going in the direction of the ocean.

The teen's heavy boots sank in the wet sand as he strolled along the shoreline, the ocean breeze ruffling his chocolate hair. He stared at the expanse of sky and sea before him as he walked, but could see no other signs of land. This place had to be really far out on the water.

Misaki continued on as the beach turned into a stretch of cliffs, watching the waves rise like a flock of birds and crash back down onto the rocks. He lifted his chin, his eyes searching the horizon hungrily as a low sigh left him.

"Ni-chan," He whispered. "I can hardly believe what's happened to me in only a few days… I—this place…it's just so lonely and I miss you so much…but at least you're in heaven, where you're not suffering anymore…"

The teen dropped his head as his eyes grew misty and he blinked rapidly to dry them. Now was not the time to cry. He had to toughen up so he could live through this…

_"Misaki…Misaki!"_

Misaki's eyes fluttered open as he heard Alpha's voice ring loudly in his head. Though oddly enough, his tone sounded a little frantic.

"Y—yes?" He spoke. He heard Alpha sigh with growling relief.

_"Where in the hell are you?"_

"Just on the beach," Misaki answered timidly. "Am I… not supposed to go out?"

_"I guess it doesn't matter,_" Alpha said with a slight grumble. _"But get back to the base. We have things to discuss."_

"We?"

_"Everyone. Now accelerate your ass back here on the double."_

Alpha's voice faded and Misaki cocked his head curiously. But deciding to wonder later, the teen clicked the switch in his back tooth and flashed down the hill, the landscape a sweeping blur as he ran faster than the blink of an eye.

He rolled to a stop in front of the building, and immediately noticed a scowling Hiroki leaning against the door frame, tapping his fingers impatiently. Taking the hint, Misaki jogged up and followed him inside, going down a hallway he hadn't been in before. Hiroki punched a code into a steel door and it opened, revealing a dark room where everyone else had gathered. Alpha was at the front of the room, leaning against a control panel. He nodded to the two of them somewhat unhappily as they entered, and Misaki stopped as Nowaki walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't just run off like that, okay?" The second said quietly. "You had us all worried."

"Oh, sorry." Misaki whispered back. The teen's eyes wandered around the room and he noticed Gamma and Epsilon sitting by the far wall. Shinobu's eyes shifted over to meet his, but the two broke their gaze immediately, not quite ready to face each other.

"All right," Alpha spoke, his voice carrying all around the room. "Now that everyone is here, we can begin."

"What's this all about?" Hiroki said, his eyes narrowed calculatingly.

"As most of you know, I have been using this base as a means to intercept transmissions from various FMA bases, looking for information that might be useful in attacking them. And I have had such luck."

Akihiko clicked a remote and a large map was projected onto the wall.

"This is a diagram of base 2038, the second largest operation they have, and their supercomputers house all the info we would need to storm their primary base and destroy it, crippling their resources and bringing their organization into the ground. But the building for 2038 is extremely old, and underneath the base lies a series of aqueducts that act as the sewer system. Once we enter the sewer, it's only a matter of five hundred feet to their main control room, where we can use a virus to hack their computer and glean the information we'd need to take them down."

Alpha left the slide up and turned towards his audience.

"I have also recently gained news that they have finished engineering a brand new type of nuclear missile. Their transmissions suggest that they know we are hiding on an island, but they aren't sure of our exact coordinates. I fear that if we wait too long to move, they will begin bombing desert islands in attempt to wipe us out.

"I've said this to you all before, but I'll say it again: all of you are human beings capable of making your own choices. I will not force this plan of action on you, but know this: in two days time I am heading to base 2038, and I need to know who is willing to follow me."

Akihiko's eyes traveled to each face in the room, reading their reactions to his speech with a discerning eye. And not surprisingly, Gamma was the only one who was capable of hiding his thoughts. Equally as predictable were Epsilon and Digamma's looks of fear and the worrisome crease in Beta's brow, as well as the fact that Delta stepped forward and looked Alpha straight in the eye.

"Akihiko," He said soberly. "This is too easy."

Alpha lifted his chin in question and Hiroki gestured to the map.

"Your plan might work if we were going against a standard military division, but the FMA is made up of unlisted black ops! They would never leave such an obvious opening in their defense unless they planned to use it against us."

At this new information almost every face in the room blanched.

"I realize the plan is risky," Akihiko continued. "But it is also a rare opportunity we can't afford to pass up—"

"The hell it is!" Shinobu cried. "You're leading up into a trap! We'll all be taken!"

"Would you rather wait here and be blown up Epsilon?" Alpha shot back.

"If it's a choice of dying here or dying there, I'd take it!" Shinobu screamed, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. "I won't fall into his hands again!"

"That's enough Shinobu!"

The blonde teen immediately fell silent as Gamma's voice rang above all others. Everyone turned and stared at Miyagi's expressionless face. Sensing something, Akihiko titled his head.

"Gamma, do you have any premonitions?"

The third shook his head.

"Not yet as far as I can see… but in regards to your plan Alpha, if you go, I will come with you."

Shinobu's mouth dropped in horror and he clutched Miyagi's shoulder desperately. Miyagi placed a hand over the teen's and continued.

"Not because your plan is perfect, because it's not, and not because I'm afraid of them nuking this place. I will go because I believe with all my heart that we are a match for them. Whether we like it or not, all of us were given these powers for a reason, and if we can work past ourselves, develop them, and meld them into a group with a purpose, then I say nothing is impossible for us. And this can be our first step in realizing that."

The control room went pin drop silent at his words as each person struggled to wrap their mind around Miyagi's words. But it didn't take long for Delta to raise his head and give a characteristic scoff.

"Well, I for one can't let Bakahiko and the blind bat go into combat by themselves. You'll need someone who's good with a gun."

A corner of Alpha's mouth curled and he nodded.

"Glad to have you on board, old boy."

"If Hiro-san goes, I go." Nowaki said boldly, walking forward and taking Hiroki's hand. The fourth glared daggers at him, but didn't try to jerk away the giant's paw.

Shinobu's eyes fluttered between Miyagi and the floor, and he finally swallowed hard and spoke.

"If Miyagi goes," He choked out. "I'll need to go. H—He needs me to be his guide."

Miyagi's entire face lit up proudly at the boy's declaration and he wrapped a lean arm around the fifth's trembling shoulders, knowing full well how much bravery it had taken Shinobu to utter those words.

Alpha nodded at the two, then slid his amethyst eyes over to the last one left among them. Misaki leaned against the back wall, staring hard at the floor as his mind tipped back and forth undecidedly.

Hiroki gave a light "hmph."

"Kid would sure come in handy," He muttered to Akihiko, but the first shook his head.

"He can decide for himself Hiroki." Akihiko replied, his eyes still locked on Misaki's fluttering doe eyes. But as the green orbs slowly lifted and meet his gaze, the first paused, and for a brief second he wasn't even sure if he wanted Misaki to say yes…

But the teen gave a shaky sigh and began to nod.

"…I'll go." He said, casting his eyes pleadingly to Delta, Beta, and Alpha. "But please… show me what to do."

Nowaki gave him a compassionate smile and was about to reassure the frightened teen, when Alpha reached out and gestured to him.

"I will," He said. "Everyone has a part in this plan now, and no power will be overlooked. Come, let us prepare. We leave in two days."

Misaki swallowed hard and slowly walked over, being the first one to follow Alpha to a large table with more diagrams and maps, where they would each be given a role in their leader's plan. Even though not one of them knew whether it would triumph or fail.

* * *

**Helllooo peeps, happy to be sending you guys another update :) School finally started for me this week and needless to say I'd rather be doing more important things than suffering my way through lectures (like updating lemons) but que cera cera I guess. **

**If you haven't noticed, I finally got around to finishing my cover for this story :) very happy with the way it came out and hope it pleases. If you want to see the full-sized pic you can go to my deviant art account. Here is the link.  
**

**theblackflamingo101dot deviantartdotcom**

**Alexisz, Artemis Fortune, Pengwens, Kiyame Hikari-Chan, Seshomaru94, SakuraFlowersFalling- Can I have a giant group hug again for all you awesome readers :3 THANK YOU!  
**

**Fauchocholat- sorry to hear about your hospital stay, even though it was a month ago. I hope you are doing well and I'm thrilled you liked the Egoist chapter so much :) Keep on rocking!  
**

**The-seinshen-of-egoist- Oh darn, you've made me blush. So glad you like my stories, and believe me I have as much fun writing those parodies as people do reading them. Glad you're really into this story and hope to keep hearing from you!  
**

**Leigh's Last Laugh- well, who's the bigger sap? The one who tears up during the angsty dribble or the one who spouted it out? And hmm, raunchy super-powered victory sex. What a lovely set of words...I must do something with them...  
**

**JoanIncarnate- Dear God...if/when you ever do draw that, show it to the world (and me). Something like that needs to be seen by everyone *.*  
**

**Onto the action and sneaky mission impossible theme music montages we go!  
**

**With Love,  
**

**TBF101  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Infiltration**

Misaki's breath seemed to pound in his ears as he stared at the lit military base in the valley below. He clasped his hands together as he watched the others pile out of the helicopter, though in the shadow of the night he could barely make out the forms of Alpha and the rest because of the cloaking mechanism on their suits. The white material had turned almost completely black and vision was only possible through night goggles. Everyone had been given a pair along with a portable scrambler, and all except Hiroki and Nowaki had tasers for defense. The second hardly needed a weapon with his massive strength and Hiroki preferred something with more bang, and had a shotgun and semi automatic rifle slung over each shoulder as well as a ka bar knife strapped to his thigh. He seemed to bear the weight easily and was taking the mission much more smoothly than anyone else. He was casual as he gathered his auburn hair and bound it up into a short ponytail, watching Shinobu help Miyagi out of the helicopter.

Once the group was gathered, Alpha turned to the blond teen and gave him a nod. Shinobu took a shaky breath, clasping Miyagi's hand tightly. But when he hesitated, Alpha sighed grimly.

"If you're unable to transform, I'm going to have to reformulate the plan."

"He can do it." Miyagi said, squeezing the teen's hand. "Just concentrate. Like we practiced."

His words seemed to give a tiny bolster to the fifth, and he let go of Miyagi's hand and sat on the ground, closing his eyes. All of a sudden, his body gave a jerk and began to morph right in front of their eyes, shrinking and changing into a tiny golden form. And several members of the group couldn't help but smile as they saw the little hamster scurry over to Miyagi's boot. The third crouched down and held out his hand, all the while whispering something into the hamster's ear.

"Shut up," came a tiny squeak from the animal as he was carefully placed in Miyagi's breast pocket.

"All right," Alpha said, regaining everyone's attention. "Let's go."

The group began to descend into the valley via a rocky slope on the north side, the darkness effectively hiding their presence. Hiroki was at the front of the group, gun cocked, with Alpha at his side, followed by Misaki, Miyagi, and Nowaki covering the rear. The teen was very glad for the organization, feeling safe in the middle of the group despite where they were going. And even though Alpha had gone over their directive with him dozens of times, he refreshed the plan in his mind as he quietly followed, hoping his quickening breath wasn't audible to the others.

Once they had made their way through the aqueducts and gotten into the actual building, they would head to the control room and insert a thumb drive into the computer mainframe that would instantly hack the system. It would gather information about the FMA's primary base, as well as disable all operative weapons that could hinder them on their departure.

Misaki's hand involuntary went to his left pocket, where a tiny black device was hidden. Oddly enough, only Alpha, Shinobu, and he had been given them. In case they went under fire, Hiroki and Nowaki would be their main cover, and Miyagi would anticipate any moves the enemy made. Since Misaki and Shinobu had powers of avoidance, Alpha reasoned they would be the most likely to actually get into the control room and had equipped them for such.

However, the responsibility of the task weighed heavily on the teen's mind, and a shudder crept through his body as he saw the base before them. Even with Hiroki's training and Alpha's confidence in his developed powers, Misaki was wary, and he hoped that no one would detect their presence. If they infiltrated successfully, Alpha would be able to handle the hacking. Above all, the teen didn't want to weigh their unit down, and he reasoned that the best way for him to do that would be to follow silently and stay out of the way.

Luckily for the super humans, there was a small manhole that accessed the sewer system just outside the fenced perimeter. Naturally it was bolted shut with steel and an intricate locking system, but the designers hadn't counted on Nowaki's super strength as well as Hiroki's heat and a good knowledge of puzzles.

The fourth started by placing his palms on either side of the metal plate and the steel flushed red as Hiroki's heat drove into it. After only thirty seconds, he raised his hands and Nowaki carefully gripped the smoldering edges. The metal bent easily under the heat and pressure and the second ripped it off without much exertion. Underneath was a lighter grate with a several key holes.

"Hold on," Alpha said, digging in his tool belt. "I have a pry bar that should work."

Beta and Delta exchanged a slight eye roll and Nowaki gave one sharp kick to the metal, dislodging it and sending it clanking down into the tunnel. Hiroki snorted musingly at Alpha's perturbed expression and lowered himself into the manhole, climbing down the metal rungs that served as a ladder. With Nowaki's help, Miyagi followed next and the second held out his hand to Misaki, but dropped it as Alpha placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and helped him down instead.

As soon as he reached the end the ladder, Misaki stepped into ankle deep water and the overwhelming stench of sewage. He coughed a couple times and pressed his sleeve to his smell as he saw the outlines of his companions flicker into a glow. The teen quickly tugged at a small zipper on his sleeve and his suit began to glow in the dark as well. Even though their faces weren't illuminated, it was interesting how Misaki could distinguish everyone just by their physique. Nowaki all bulk and height, Hiroki sleight and quick, Miyagi long and lean, and Alpha's prowess as well as the definite purpose in his step as he lead the group into the labyrinth. Hiroki was at Akihiko's right for defense, and Miyagi took up his left, the map of the aqueducts spread before his mind clear as day.

In nearly half an hour they were climbing up a grimy concrete staircase that traveled up to the main floor. This time the rusted cover was silently unscrewed and pulled off with Nowaki's careful fingers. The rectangular hole went into a small utility room was barely large enough for all of them to get through, especially considering the cast iron pipes connected to the walls in all directions.

"The immediate hallways are empty." Miyagi murmured.

"I suspected them to be." Alpha replied. "We're in the service part of the building. It should be the left corridor that takes us to the main floor."

"Second left," Miyagi corrected as Alpha skillfully picked the door's lock and opened it. Hiroki stepped out with his back against the wall, his eyes and the barrel of his shotgun skimming everything within sight. He gave a nod that the coast was clear and the group carefully filed out into the dimly lit corridor, their pace quick and quiet as they passed up through the hallways and up a secluded stairway. At the top was a set of metal double doors with overlaid steel bars and a keypad.

With a quiet hum, Miyagi reached into his breast pocket and pulled out Shinobu, setting him gently on the floor.

"All right Shi-bu," The third murmured. "Time to shine."

The golden hamster gave a definite scoff as it skittered over to the door and climbed through a hole in the grating. As his sharp ears caught the sound of tiny hamster feet inside the walls, Miyagi spoke.

"Alpha, you made sure he knows which wires right?"

"Yes."

"And you took into account that hamsters are colorblind?"

Alpha sighed and crossed his arms, glaring at no one in particular.

"Naturally Gamma." He replied.

Not a few minutes later, his point was proved by the keypad disengaging and the steel grating creaking open. The human Shinobu stood haughtily inside the passageway, a healthy amount of spark lighting his grey eyes.

"Good," Alpha nodded to the teen as Hiroki took a spot check inside. The first then turned to the rest of the group. "All right, this is our last main obstacle before reaching the control room. This corridor does have surveillance just around the first corner, so aim your scramblers at the cameras as we go and move your asses doing it."

"Clear," Hiroki said from the doorway.

"Let's go," Alpha commanded, but just as the group started forward, Miyagi stumbled, falling to one knee. Shinobu's face contorted in horror and he rushed forward to help the third, who was pressing his knuckles to his forehead.

"Miyagi!" Shinobu cried. "What's wrong?"

"Are you having a vision?" Nowaki asked. But within a couple seconds, the third stood back up and smiled mellowly.

"Sorry, just a fluke."

"Can you go on?" Shinobu pressed worriedly.

"He's fine." Alpha replied. "Now let's go."

The six men crept fluidly through the white washed hallway, and once they turned the corner, they broke into a full on run, their scramblers aimed at the cameras, reducing their feed to blank static.

Misaki gritted his teeth together as he ran behind Alpha and Hiroki, his first impulse to click the switch in his molar and accelerate. The first had been adamant about staying together and he did feel well protected in the group, but Misaki somehow couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"_There!"_ Alpha communicated to them mentally. _"Break through that door in the center and keep going straight!" _

Hiroki hoisted his gun and fired a shot through the keyhole, breaking the lock instantly. The group raced through the door and into a square room with four exits. But when they were just yards from their exit, a giant slab of steel slammed down in front of it. Reacting fast, the group instantly turned towards the exit on their right, only to have it instantly blocked as well. Two more quaking jars and everyone's eyes went wide in sheer horror.

They were trapped.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Dangers and suprises ahead...and not all of them good.**

**Please review! **

**With Love, **

**TBF101**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Fear**

"Akihiko!" Hiroki barked, his shotgun aimed in every direction. "What's going on?!"

Seeing their surroundings bathed in metal, Nowaki beckoned to his lover and they raced over to one of the doors to try and break through it, but were immediately stopped as a hissing sound reached their ears. A bright yellow gas burst through tubes in the ceilings and descended. It hit Beta and Delta first, and they found their lungs constricted as the gas seeped in with their breath, reducing them to fits of violent coughing.

"Hiroki!" Akihiko yelled, covering his mouth with his sleeve. But this did little to stop him from inhaling the noxious fumes.

The two teens were paralyzed in terror, Shinobu clinging to Miyagi with shaking hands and Misaki staring blankly at the gas and steel, his mind unable to comprehend either. But the teen was suddenly knocked off his feet as a boot flew out and kicked his ankles, dropping him with a heavy grunt. The teen had no idea who had tripped him, but as he lifted his tearing eyes he found it much easier to breathe. The gas didn't completely drift to the floor and the air down there was mostly clear.

But the others weren't so fortunate. Hiroki and Nowaki found their strong bodies turned to lead as they tried to catch their breath and break through the doors. Miyagi and Akihiko staggered against the walls as well, just trying to stay on their feet as Shinobu unclasped his grip and slid

limply to the floor, his eyes glazed and dilated.

Even as the gas began to dissipate, the six men could barely see each other through their irritated eyes and coughing fits. And even if they could, they had no way of talking to each other and their strength had dried.

And all of a sudden, one of the steel doors opened and a platoon of armed black-clad soldiers marched through, headed by two men of tall stature and frightening aura, one clad in a expensively tailored suit, the other in a pure white lab coat.

A blood-curdling sob left Shinobu's throat as he saw the newcomers, and Misaki was horrified at the terror in his eyes. Who were these men?

"Fucking bastards!" Hiroki choked out, shakily trying to aim his shotgun. But his knees gave out and he fell to the floor, his breath ragged but his eyes blazing in hate.

The man in the suit eyed them with calculating eyes and grunted.

"A little gas and they drop like flies, doctor. We anticipated so much more." He said, devoid of all emotion.

"Indeed," The one in the lab coat smirked. "But then again, puppets can't accomplish much when they try to hold their own strings. How amusing. It was too easy to predict their actions."

"A breach through the sewer system of the secondary base in order to hack our mainframe. Predictable at best."

"But a little ingenious for getting past the security system. I'll enjoy finding out their exact route. But in the end, all that effort…for naught."

Hiroki gritted his teeth and with all his strength managed to lift his gun, aiming for the man's head. But his action was countered by the nearest soldiers stepping forward and pointing their firearms at all six of them. Still, Hiroki didn't drop his guard, knowing it was a bluff. They were too valuable to shoot all at once.

"Uhh…" A low groan came from the fourth's right. Hiroki's eyes flickered over and widened in horror as he saw Akihiko's stiff body fall to the ground, a trickle of saliva coming from between his lips as spasms racked his form.

"Drop your weapons number four," The emotionless man commanded as a soldier circled around and put the gun barrel against the head of silver hair. "Or I'll kill him."

Misaki watched the scene in terror, but was shocked to his core as Hiroki took both his guns and ka bar and tossed them against the wall in willing defeat. Hiroki balled his empty hands into fists, his eyes full of resolve to save Alpha's life but anguish at having to give up his chance for revenge.

"What a beautiful display of friendship," The doctor chuckled. "It's disgusting, but that look of hellfire in your eyes is as refreshing as ever Delta."

"You sick fuck," Hiroki spat. "You haven't even begun to see my fire yet."

"Indeed," the doctor said. "I'd love to strap you to my table again and see just how much your rage could burn through. At least until I'd have to get that brain of yours under control with a few medications. You have such a good memory it's a headache."

"Even so, he was one of the more successful experiments," The suit cut in dryly. "Unlike that failure over there." His black eyes nodded in the direction of Akihiko, who was clutching at his throat as if he were choking.

"Akihiko!" Hiroki yelled as his friend's eyes began to roll back. The doctor chuckled again.

"You were right Mr. President. TXV606, such a simple synthetic chemical and he's all but dead. Even if he was a failure, his induced allergy worked just like we hoped."

"A necessary precaution," The FMA President replied. "Akihiko was always obstinate. I predicted he'd go on a worthless tirade like this. Maybe now in death he'll finally learn his lesson."

"An invisible string for a struggling puppet," The doctor breathed. "But now that the strings are cut, he'll make a lovely, lifeless doll—"

"How dare you…" A weak but firm voice snapped. The two men looked over at Nowaki, who had managed to stand on both his feet, though his eyes were full of pain.

"How dare you say such things!" He barked. "Puppets? Dolls? You think were nothing more than chess pieces that you can move whenever you want! We're human beings! And if a god doesn't rain justice upon you and this place then I swear before him that these _humans_ will!"

For the first time, the doctor's musing expression firmed in annoyance.

"You ceased to be human beings the moment I cut you open." He snorted. "I think I'll use you for parts Beta, your body is strong, but your brain is soft as mush. I'll put you through the grinder with Alpha."

"He will be incinerated doctor, I want every scrap of him gone, not preserved." The President cut in. "Or his defiance will spread like a plague."

"Pity," The doctor sighed. "A brain is a terrible thing to waste."

The suit looked at his watch and turned on his heel, not giving any of the super humans so much as a glance.

"Other than that, do what you want with them doctor Korovin*," The President said as he walked out. "They are failed experiments. Salvage them for parts or make sure they never defy us _again_. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal," Korovin smiled, his maniacal eyes finally drifting down to the floor where Shinobu was. "Why my little poppet, I hardly noticed you down there."

A strangled gasp came from the teen's throat, his eyes dripping tears of fear and his entire body shaking.

"Dear Epsilon," Korovin cooed. "You were to be such a magnificent creation. A real shape shifter, capable of so many things… before these wastes of DNA pulled you from my lab. But no matter, I'll have you rebuilt in no time, and I can take some pleasure in slicing up the ones who took you from me."

Shinobu cried out in terror and grasped Miyagi's arms as the third felt for him, the two kneeling on the floor and weakly clinging to each other. Korovin clicked his tongue impatiently.

"Come now pet, we have work to do. And maybe if we have time we can play a little…"

"No!" Shinobu screamed, his face contorted in horror. Korovin's thin lips curled in glee, and his eyes slid over to Misaki.

"It's been so long since I've been able to play Epsilon, and Digamma was swept from my claws so fast I was never able to introduce myself… it delights me that such a tight little body harbors such potential and power…"

Misaki felt his own body begin to quiver as the man's eyes touched every crevice of him, and he gasped as a brief flicker of a memory flashed through his mind. One of bright light, half hidden by the shadow of a figure holding a glittering scalpel…

He understood now. This man was a monster.

"NO!" Shinobu wailed as Korovin began walking towards him with soldiers flanking. "Don't let him take me Miyagi! DON'T LET HIM TAKE ME!"

The third gritted his teeth and clutched the teen tightly, not letting go even when he felt a gun barrel at his jaw. Korovin sighed impatiently and grabbed Shinobu's wrist, only to jump back as Miyagi's taser shot out and nearly touched him.

"How impertinent!" The doctor spat, signaling to the soldiers. One of them shoved the butt of his gun into Miyagi's back and the third fell heavily to the floor, where he received several sharp kicks to the ribs that left him panting for air.

"MIYAGI!" Shinobu screeched as Korovin hauled him away. "MIYAGI HELP ME! MIYAGI!"

"Shinobu…" Miyagi choked out desperately. Misaki was only a few inches away, but too paralyzed to speak or do anything as the blonde teen's screams shook him to his core.

"Digamma…"

Misaki looked over at Miyagi, and was horrified to see a trickle of blood come from the man's mouth.

"Misaki…" Miyagi said in the quietest of whispers. "1…8…5…7…6…3…4…"

"What?" The teen choked out before the third's body went limp.

"MIYAGI!" Shinobu screamed again as he tried to fight away. "MIYAGI!"

Tears welled in Misaki's eyes as he saw Gamma's bloody face and heard Shinobu's screams in his ears. Beta and Delta could barely stand. Alpha was dying. And for the tinniest moment, Miyagi's bloody face turned into Takahiro's…

"Stop it…STOP! STOP! STOP IT!" Misaki screamed, clamping his hands over his ears and shutting his eyes. "STOOOP!"

Not a moment later, a profound silence took over and the teen shakily opened his eyes, his mouth simultaneously dropping as he realized that…everything had.

* * *

**Hello guys and happy halloween!...tomorrow. I guess this kinda counts as a scary update. But thank you all for your reviews! I know my correspondence has been crap lately but it truly, truly makes my day. Hope you guys keep enjoying because writing this is just so fun to write!**

**...and by fun I mean riveting. I'm no sadist. **

**Happy Halloooooween!**

**TBF101**

* Dr. Korovin is an original character created by my lover dog Cerberus Revised from her stories "The Uke Flu" and "Days Without Sun," and is being used with permission.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Time**

Misaki breathed shallowly as his eyes slid all around the room. Everyone looked as though they were frozen in place, like sculptures made of wax. The teen wiggled experimentally and stood as he found that he had complete mobility. As he hadn't breathed in much of the gas, his head was mostly clear and his steps solid. But the only thing Misaki could comprehend were the frozen looks on everyone's face. Hiroki's rage, Korovin's gleam, Shinobu's terror. They were horrible.

Misaki suddenly became immensely frightened. The only explanation for this was that he had somehow…stopped time. But what if it started up again? They would be taken and experimented on again, even killed! He had to do something. He had to get everyone out of here!

But how?

A dim light went off in Misaki's head and he gently slid his tongue back to the molar that contained his acceleration switch. Having used it enough, he could tell when it was activated, and to his relief, it was. If his hunch was right, he was in control. He literally had all the time in the world…or something along those lines.

Misaki turned and looked at Alpha, who was teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, and his hands curled into fists. Even if he was just one person, with his power, he could do it. He could get them out.

But first he had to accomplish their objective. Grabbing the thumb drive out of his pocket, Misaki quickly squeezed his way passed the guards and headed down the hallway to the main control room, where a couple technicians were also frozen in time. The teen scanned the control boards and found the drive Alpha had showed him pictures of. And as he carefully slid it in, he touched the mainframe, which immediately booted into life. Misaki jerked up in fright, but stopped as he saw that the others were still. The teen quietly put the pieces together. If he touched something while they were in this time warp, then it would start functioning normally. That being said, he had to be careful not to touch any of their opponents.

Alpha's virus worked perfectly and in what seemed like a few minutes (which were terribly ironic) the information they needed was stored and the computer's operations system was immobilized.

Misaki took the thumb drive and put it in his pocket, his eyes searching the active monitors above the control panel. Now that the objective was complete, he had to get everyone out of here. Their helicopter was too far away and with half of them wounded they couldn't possibly flee on foot. As he scanned the large screens, he saw what looked like an airplane hanger located at the front of the base. A small plane would do the trick, but he had no way of knowing which ones were operational, fueled, and ready to go…

But as the teen caught the side of an aircraft at the far edge of the screen, his eyes widened. The planes had numbers on the side of them… 1857634.

Misaki gapped. That was the exact string of numbers Miyagi had whispered to him before he passed out. It _had_ to be the right plane to take!

Using a virtual map on the computer, the teen quickly found the fastest escape route and headed back down the corridor, being careful not to touch any of the soldiers as he slid in.

Misaki surveyed the horrific scene before him with a gulp, trying to decide what he should do. Beta and Delta could probably plow through all the soldiers, but they were unarmed. Plus Beta would need to carry out Miyagi and Alpha since they were wounded.

Misaki turned back over to the other side of the room, where Korovin, Shinobu, and the platoon were. And it was then that he noticed that only two soldiers were technically inside the room. The teen ducked out of the room again and found a small panel on the outside. He punched the biggest button and the door sealed shut, effectively locking out the extra manpower. With a bit of difficultly, Misaki circled about the hallways until he found another entrance to the room and opened it. They would have to navigate the halls a bit until they made it to the hangar, but a head start would give them a big advantage, not to mention Alpha's computer virus disabled all their weapons.

With only the super humans, Korovin, and two soldiers left, Misaki knew this was their chance. As carefully as he could, he went over to the armed gunman, pried their weapons away, and tossed them to the other side of the room. He then found Hiroki's discarded shotgun and headed over towards him, giving him an experimental tap on the shoulder. The third swayed slightly but didn't awaken even when Misaki touched him again.

"Maybe it doesn't work on people…" He murmured. It was unfortunate that he couldn't wake everyone up beforehand, but he had to work with what he was given. He pulled Hiroki's hands up and placed the shotgun in them. He then turned to Alpha and Gamma who were injured on the floor. He wanted to move them closer to Beta so he could carry them out, but they were far too heavy. So the only one left was Shinobu. Misaki shuddered as he walked over and saw Korovin's maniacal gaze up close, and he hoped they never so much as saw this monster again.

But Misaki's gaze shifted as he turned to Shinobu, who face was contorted with tear, pain, and fright, and a piece of the teen felt guilty of the way the two had fought. Taking a deep breath, Misaki intertwined his fingers in Shinobu's flailing hands and shakily clicked the switch in his back tooth. As soon as he felt the surge, he pulled on the other boy with all his strength.

The world flew back into motion and Shinobu found himself being yanked away by another set of hands. The unexpected force broke Korovin's grip and the two boy's fell to the floor, scrambling away from their captors.

Hiroki's body jolted as he felt the cold metal in his hands. He had no clue how he got it back but he didn't care. His eyes flew like lightning towards Korovin and the two unarmed soldiers.

"Don't move!" He yelled, aiming the shotgun. "Or I'll blow your fucking heads off!"

The three froze immediately and Hiroki moved closer, evaluating the situation that was now strangely in their favor. It had been decided long ago that if anything ever happened to Alpha, he would take charge of the group. And now the lives of his comrades were his responsibility.

"Nowaki!" He barked. "Get Alpha and Gamma up. We're aborting!"

The giant immediately complied, running over to Gamma first.

"Can you hold onto me?" He whispered to Miyagi, who groaned as he was pulled up.

"Yeah…fuck I probably broke a rib," He gasped as Nowaki helped him onto his back. He then walked over to Alpha and picked him up bridal-style, the weight of two grown men hardly seeming to faze him.

"What's the plan?" Beta spoke quietly to Hiroki the two of them inching closer to the open door.

"I found a plane," Misaki said, grabbing Shinobu's hand and pulling him towards the group. "I can lead you two it."

"How in hell…" Hiroki murmured, this entire situation not adding up. But he shook it off as Korovin breathed a deep gasp, his insane eyes fixated on Misaki.

"I didn't think it was possible." He whispered as chuckles began spilling out of his mouth. "Your power has shone for the first time Digamma, and I will have you! I WILL HAVE ALL OF YOU!"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Hiroki screamed, firing straight at Korovin's head. With a hasty duck the doctor managed to avoid a fatal shot, but his glasses were struck in the process. Shards of glass flew in chaos, a large, sharp piece imbedding itself in Korovin's left eye.

"AHHH!" He screamed as blood spurted from the socket. "Don't just stand there! Capture them!"

"Don't fucking move!" Hiroki yelled back as Nowaki, Misaki, and Shinobu scampered out the open passage. He then fired two shots at the guards before bolting after them.

* * *

**Big thanks to Sunset Siren curse, Artemis Fortune, MAX-FANG-FAX, aokochan17, Pengwens, Kiyame Hikari-chan, SakuraFlowersFalling, seshomaru94, JoanIncarnate, I.C.2014, TheImpatient, and Leigh's Last Laugh for your frigging awesome reviews!**

**New chapter out soon!**

**Love,  
**

**TBF101  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Savior**

"This way!" Misaki cried, still holding onto Shinobu's hand as they turned a corner. The blonde teen was so shaken all he could do was stumble behind. Hiroki covered their rear frantically, checking every corner and waiting on needles for alarms to whirl down the hall with soldiers on their tails.

But none came, and somehow that worried him more. This was a top-secret black op base and they hadn't seen so much as a guard dog come after them. And his questions multiplied as Misaki led them straight to a deserted hangar and motioned to a small plane.

"There! That plane!" Misaki called. But Hiroki and Nowaki stopped in their tracks.

"What?" Hiroki demanded. "Why?"

"Do what he says Delta…" Miyagi coughed quietly. Even still, Hiroki paused. This just didn't add up! But when a single alarm did begin to sound, he threw his questions over his shoulder and urged the group forward. When they all got inside, Nowaki was surprised to see patient cots and medical supplies, as well as firearms and survival equipment. While Hiroki bolted the door shut and began to set the controls for flight, Nowaki quickly laid the injured Miyagi and Alpha down on separate beds. Alpha's eyes flew open as he was set on his back and he weakly clutched his throat as though a thick snake were wrapped around it. Nowaki carefully took his pulse, slightly alarmed at how it fast it pounded. Digging in a supply cabinet, he found an oxygen tank and mask and placed it over their leader's mouth. He was losing far too much air and it just kept getting worse. Nowaki vaguely remembered their captors' conversation about an allergenic synthetic chemical, but if it was manufactured solely in their lab he had no access to an antidote.

"Everyone hold on!" Hiroki yelled as he took the plane's steering yoke and urged the aircraft forward. Bullets ricocheted off the plane as soldiers began to swarm the hanger, but they were forced to scatter like ants as Delta steered it to the runway, gaining speed at an alarming rate and finally taking it off the ground.

Once their altitude was stabilized, Hiroki activated the autopilot and flew out of his seat.

"Digamma! Watch the controls!" He ordered Misaki, who was huddled on a seat with a shaking Epsilon. The teen nodded and carefully released Shinobu, who was staring at the floor with wide, blank eyes.

"Nowaki!" Hiroki yelled as he raced to Akihiko's side. "What's wrong with him?!"

"He can't breathe. That gas is making his throat swell shut. He'll suffocate if we don't find a solution fast."

Hiroki's face paled and he stared at his friend, feeling completely helpless. Another spasm racked Alpha's body and one of his hands stretched out and latched onto Hiroki's wrist.

"_Hiroki…"_ A quiet voice rang in his mind.

"Akihiko!" Hiroki cried, kneeling at his side.

_"In my belt…the pouch on the right side…there's a vial…give it to me…"_

Realizing the implications of Alpha's words, Hiroki quickly located the vial while Nowaki grabbed a syringe from the supplies.

"Is it the antidote?" Hiroki said, his eyes going bright with hope.

Alpha rasped painfully in reply and Hiroki handed the vial to Nowaki, who studied the label carefully.

"What are you waiting for Nowaki?" Hiroki barked desperately. "Give it to him!"

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki shot back gravely. "This…this is poison! If suffocation doesn't kill him this most certainly will!"

_"It's the only antidote to TXV606…"_ Akihiko replied mentally. _"If you inject it in short bursts it will counteract my symptoms. It may put me on the brink, but it won't kill me…in theory."_ Hiroki gritted his teeth as his best friend, his lover, and he teetered on a seesaw of life and death, but after a few seconds, he balled his fists and spoke.

"Do it Nowaki…"

"But Hiro-san—"

"I order you to do it!" Hiroki practically screamed, his voice cracking in the process. "Please…please Nowaki…it's the only chance he has."

Nowaki now saw an ocean of pain in two sets of eyes, and with a heavy swallow, he began to draw fluid into the syringe. He then rolled up Alpha's sleeve and located a pulsing vein, easing the needle in and sending but a few drops of the antidote into his bloodstream.

Minute by minute, Nowaki repeated the procedure, and breathed easier as he noticed Alpha's breath becoming less ragged. However, when not even a quarter of the antidote was gone, Akihiko's entire body tensed in pain and he let loose a cry of anguish. His liquid savior was flowing through his veins, but even as they loosened his throat they burned tissue and made his brain and body scream with unbearable pain.

"Akihiko!" Hiroki cried, feeling Nowaki's hand on his shoulder.

"These are the effects of the poison, Hiro-san," He whispered gravely. "I've done all I can…we'll know soon whether his body can withstand the trauma."

The fourth bowed his head, refusing to show his face to the others.

"Thank you…Nowaki…go see to Miyagi…"

Nowaki nodded and went over to the other bed, where Gamma was also breathing heavily. Carefully palpitating the older man's side, Nowaki could feel him wince when he felt the left side of Miyagi's rib cage.

"I don't know for sure without an x-ray, but I think you've cracked a rib. Maybe even more than one."

"Well I knew that…" Gamma said with a forced but sincere smile. "I have 'em after all… Beta, where's Shinobu? Is he okay?"

"Ah, yes. He's fine. I think he's in shock though."

"It's no wonder, being faced with that demon again…" Miyagi whispered with a twisted, angry frown.

Nowaki continued to tend to Miyagi as Hiroki stayed faithfully by Alpha, his face growing a shade paler as Akihiko writhed.

_"Hiroki…"_

"Yes? Yes Akihiko?" Hiroki entreated.

_"Where's…Misaki?_"

"He's watching the autopilot. Why? What do you need?"

_"Get him for me…I need…to tell him…the truth... In case I don't make it."_

"Don't you dare talk like that Bakahiko," Hiroki snapped. "You're going to be fine."

_"He needs to know…please Hiroki…"_

Hiroki sighed, but stood and headed back to the cockpit where Misaki was diligently watching the controls.

"Oy, kid," He said. "Alpha wants to see you."

Misaki titled his head and slowly got up, feeling a little dizzy after all the action. And as he went to Alpha's side, he shuddered at the man's condition. He looked so awful.

_"Misaki…"_ He heard Alpha's voice weakly ring in his head, his mouth and eyes staying shut.

"Yes Alpha?…Are—are you okay?" The teen replied.

_"I—I need to tell you…"_

"Tell me what?"

_"I need to tell you…about Takahiro…you see, it's my fault that he's dead."_

* * *

**Hooey, Flamest57, Chiho Kazusa, aokochan17, Artemis Fortune, CrazyBloodJam, KiyameHikari-chan, An-chan, I.C.2014, Misaki-fangirl15, MAX FANG FAX, TheImpatient, Joan Incarnate, sesshomaru94, Toony Twilight, and I Baricade I-** thank you all once again for your awesome reviews! You guy rock! And for those of you with questions, they will all be answered in time.

**Don't Preach- here is another cookie for you to read my dearest :) your reviews were freaking awesome and I can't wait for more! And please...like I'd kill the Egoists. Junjoudom would lynch me...  
**

**Since I seem to be on a roll of neglecting my other stories, expect another update soon.  
**

**Huggles,  
**

**TBF101  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Trauma**

"W—What?" Misaki stuttered, his eyes going wide. "Nii—Nii—chan? How can that be?…No, no…it can't—"

"_It's true," _Alpha replied soberly. _"When we were trapped, did you see the man with Korovin? The one in the suit?" _

"Yes…who is he?"

"He's the President of the FMA…and he's my father."

Misaki's mouth dropped and he touched his forehead, trying with difficulty to remember the man's face. But the gas had made it hard to see anything.

"B—But," The teen stuttered. "That can't be. What kind of father would talk to his son that way? He tried to kill you! He wanted you dead!"

"Because I rebelled against him. About a year ago, he started talking about using humans as the next step in the arms race, creating super humans that would obey every command. And when he began to test chemical engineering with Korovin, I sabotaged it. But I was a fool. I acted out of anger towards my father, and my emotions clouded my sense of reason. I never thought he would go to such lengths to put me in my place…

"_I was taken to the lab as the first subject, and they ran all kind of scans and tests on my brain. Even still, I fought back. And so that bastard took the next step… by attacking those closest to me. Everyone who is here Misaki…is here because my father ordered it. He took Hiroki and Nowaki…and even random people nearby like Miyagi and Shinobu and his sister. And he took the people he knew would hurt me the most…you and Takahiro. _

"_He knew we'd been friends in school and college…and he knew how deeply I cared for the two of you…on the day you were brought here, I was forced to watch. But he didn't want to use Takahiro for the experiments, he wanted to send a message to me. So they…killed him instead._

"_They planned to kill you too Misaki, but you were the right age and they were looking to continue the superhuman line. You were spared…only to become one of their lab rats…_

"_Misaki," _Alpha writhed in pain. _"Every second of every day…I carry a burden on my shoulders. The overwhelming weight that everyone's lives were taken because of my rebellion. But the weight of your brother's blood on my hands is that much sharper…Misaki, I loved Takahiro very much…and I am so sorry…" _

Misaki could hardly believe what he heard, and what seemed like days passed before he could even reply.

"Y—you mean," He murmured, his eyes growing moist. "That my brother is dead…that I'm like this…just because he knew you?"

Alpha cringed with agony as he nodded, tears flooding behind his closed eyelids. Misaki held his head in his hands as the pressure of the truth ravaged his mind. And in the midst of his muddled memories, he caught a snippet of something long forgotten.

"Wait," He murmured, squinting his eyes shut. "I—I remember something…my—my brother used to talk about a friend he had…he called him—he called you Usagi!"

For the first time since they boarded the plane, Akihiko's eyes flew open in profound shock, having thought he'd never hear that special name again. But as Misaki's voice vaguely echoed Takahiro's, he found his eyes filling with more tears as his body shuddered in pain.

"Misaki…I'm sorry…I'm so…sorry." Misaki gasped as Alpha's eyes rolled back and his body went limp.

"Nowaki!" Misaki yelled, who quickly ran over and placed two fingers underneath Alpha's jaw.

"He unconscious, but he has a steady pulse." The giant said. "I think he'll be okay."

Even though logic dictated that the young tortured boy should hate the origin of his suffering, Misaki breathed a sigh a relief. No matter what, no one deserved to die so horribly.

"Well," Hiroki said as he set the coordinates for the autopilot. "Now that the crisis has been averted, it's about time we have a few things explained to us."

"Hiro-san," Nowaki said quietly, sensitive to the truth Misaki had just heard. "Is now really the time?"

"Yes." Hiroki said, standing up and staring down the teen. "Digamma, explain me to _precisely _how all six of us got out of there alive?"

Misaki's eyes still hadn't left Alpha's unconscious face, but he quietly began to talk.

"W—When they were about to take Shinobu…I started screaming and suddenly everything just _stopped._ I don't know how I did it but…I think I stopped time. So I went and did what Alpha told us to do. I got the information and set the virus loose in the computer and then I made sure we could get out safely."

"How did you know which plane to choose?" Hiroki asked, his face still stoic.

"Before he passed out, G—Gamma murmured a string of numbers to me, and they turned out to be the number on this plane."

Hearing this, Hiroki and Nowaki turned to Miyagi, who was smiling sheepishly.

"You had a vision of this didn't you? When you fell." Nowaki said.

"Well I couldn't very well tell everyone that we would be trapped like rats and gassed. It was inevitable to our survival that I let things play out."

"Don't you dare presume to make choices about our survival!" Hiroki spat. "We all know your visions aren't always one hundred percent accurate. Even if we all got out Akihiko nearly died because of that gas!"

"Which he anticipated," Miyagi said calmly. "Seems to me he knew about his potential for anaphylactic shock and brought along an antidote. It's almost as if he expected this to happen."

"Like hell he did!" Hiroki yelled, making everyone jump. The fourth clenched his fists and breathed a deep sigh as he felt his heat rise, and he knew he had to calm down before he burst into flames.

"What matters is this," Nowaki said solemnly. "We're all here and alive to fight another day. And since Misaki got the plans to the primary base we can proceed as Alpha planned. In the meantime, it would benefit us all to settle down. It will take us a while to get back to the base so everyone get some rest."

After all the panic and turmoil everyone had experience, Beta's words were like a soothing balm, and for the first time Shinobu's bowed head finally rose. He didn't say anything, but shakily stood up and walked over to Miyagi's cot, carefully lying down next to him. Miyagi wrapped his arm around the teen and stroked his golden head, thanking the gods that Shinobu was in his hands and not that fucking demon's.

While Hiroki went back to the cockpit to keep tabs on the radar, Misaki sank down to the floor next to Alpha's cot, his mind still tossing and turning with questions. Ever slowly, silent tears began to roll down his cheeks as he once again mourned his brother and his pain.

Nowaki's brow creased as he saw how traumatized the poor kid looked, and he took a spot next to him on the floor, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Misaki was far to numb to lean into Nowaki's touch, but he appreciated the giant's kindness, even if it did nothing to heal the bleeding wound that Takahiro's death had opened. And learning the details of his demise only ripped it deeper. He was so caught up in what Akihiko had said that he didn't even think about how he'd managed to stop time. What did it matter if he could stop the clock? He couldn't turn it back.

Oh how he wished he could just wake up from this nightmare. That this hell he was living in was just an apparition of his mind that the morning sun would take away with its warm rays.

What seemed like an eternity passed as everyone silently sorted out their own trauma, but as they neared the base, they were woken by Hiroki's voice and brought back to black reality once again.

"Oh my god…Nowaki!" He said with a tremor in his tone. The giant rushed over and his face contorted in horror as he looked out the cockpit.

"What it is?" Misaki said in fright. "What's wrong?"

"The island," Hiroki swallowed. "It's been bombed…"

* * *

**Hello everyone and thank you for your patience with the updates. We are heading towards dark times but I hope you all can stay with me and enjoy the lighter bits as well. And for those of you who thought I was actually going to kill off Akihiko, did you really think I would do that? I fucking love that guy XD Too bad he must suffer...**

**And all of you making the Fullmetal Alchemist jokes, hardy har har. Yes, I do smile a little whenever I write FMA, but honestly, I think Ed is far too short to form a giant human experimentation conspiracy. Especially considering he hates the military... **

**aokochan17, KiyameHikari-chan, Artemis Fortune, MAX FANG FAX, Schwachkopf, Chiho Kazusa, PeanutButterBirthmark, wishIwereanime, An-chan, seshomaru94, Kuro no Kiseki, 33, The Grand Jester, Ocean Eve, and Guest- Thank you all for your bomb tastic reviews! Lol, bomb joke...was it a little too soon? **

**LLL- Believe me, it pays off to wait for your reviews :) forgive me for being a giant cock tease yet again and pulling another cliffhanger. **

**Thanks again for everyone's support!**

**Love,**

**TBF101**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Plan B**

Misaki raced over to the cockpit, and his eyes widened in horror and disbelief as he saw the smoldering flames of their island. It looked like a war zone, the barracks blown to splinters and the surrounding forests still ripe with tongues of flame.

The teen began to pant heavily as he looked at the destruction, and Nowaki immediately sat him down in the co-pilot's chair before he hyperventilated himself. But it didn't ease Misaki's panic. Their only safe place had been annihilated. Where would they go? Was the FMA tracking them? Did they know where they were at this very instant?

"Calm down kid," Hiroki said gruffly as he steered the plane north.

"B—But…what are we going to do?" Misaki trembled.

"Akihiko isn't an idiot. He was right when he said they were going to bomb islands, but since we weren't there when they hit it, they have no proof that was our specific location. Nowaki, go do an inventory of this plane and see what kind of survival gear we've got."

The giant nodded and headed to the far end of the plane, opening all the compartments and inspecting the supplies. Misaki thought about getting up and finding somewhere else to sit so Delta could focus on flying, but found himself far too emotionally exhausted to move.

Why? Why was all of this happening? Would they ever be able to escape from this nightmare? Would they ever be safe?

The teen blinked back tears and took one last glance out the window, eyeing the charred island before slipping off into a troubled slumber.

Some time later, Beta finished the inventory and came back up to the cockpit, where he looked upon Misaki with pity.

"Poor boy," He sighed. "He's far too young to have to bear this kind of pain."

Rather than offering a scoffing retort, Hiroki merely looked at his partner and spoke.

"Did you finish?"

"Yes, and be sure to thank fate that Miyagi knew about this plane. It's fully equipped with enough water, food, and supplies to last us for eight weeks."

"Do we have any spare fuel?"

"Yes, thankfully."

Hiroki breathed a sigh of relief and really did thank fate. This plane was their only means of transportation now, and fuel was vital if they didn't want to be sitting ducks.

"I'll have to wait until we've landed to check the lower compartments though," Nowaki added.

"Fine." Hiroki said, putting a new set of coordinates into the control system.

"Hiro-san, are we heading to the secondary base?"

"Eventually," He replied. "I want to wait at least a couple days before we go there, just in case they are tracking us. Once Miyagi's back on his feet he should be able to tell us if we're being followed."

Nowaki nodded in agreement, a quiet smile lighting up his somber expression. Alpha had made a smart decision when he'd put Hiro-san in charge. But as they continued to fly, the giant noticed a grimace forming on Delta's face.

"Hiro-san, what's wrong?"

The fourth sighed, far too exhausted to use his usual tactic of denial to get away from Nowaki's emotional probing.

"Why didn't Akihiko tell me he had such a dangerous allergy?" Hiroki grumbled, his grip tightening. "We could've taken extra precautions for Christ's sake! If that idiot had died, he would've left me with two brats and a blind guy to take care of. What the hell kind of leader does that to his own fucking friend?!" Nowaki's lip twitched and he set a hand on Hiroki's shoulder.

"Maybe he didn't want to burden you any more Hiro-san."

"Please, he's been burdening me my entire life. Why should now be any different?"

"Everything is different Hiro-san, and Alpha knows that more than anyone. I can't speak for him, but I can say that it feels like everyone here is getting close to their breaking point. And it would only be harder on us if he told us about his condition."

"But that's what teams are for Nowaki," Hiroki said, a tremor creeping into his voice. "That's what friends are supposed to be for. Supporting each other no matter what, and he blatantly lied to my face when I could have helped him."

Hiroki lowered his head in rage and shame, biting down on his lip to stop it from trembling.

"Akihiko's always been such a dingbat," He muttered. "Stupid idiot. Moron. Dumbass. If he weren't unconscious I'd go postal on him!"

But Hiroki's declarations of anger were cut off as a low sob crept up in his chest. He carefully masked it as a cough, but Nowaki wasn't that easy to fool. The giant came up behind his pilot's chair and wrapped his arms around Hiroki's shoulders, pressing his lips into his partner's sienna hair.

"No—Nowaki, not now," Hiroki weakly protested, his hands trembling as he tried to steer the plane.

"It's okay Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed. "Everyone else is asleep. You don't have to hold back now."

"I'm fine…" Hiroki said, making his last unconvincing remark. He quickly pushed the button for the autopilot as his eyes began to blur with moisture.

"You know Nowaki," He murmured. "You were…very brave today…when you told off Korovin."

"So were you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, hugging his partner tighter as he felt him quiver.

The fourth hung his head and silently wept while Nowaki embraced him. All through the rest of the afternoon and into twilight, the two of them didn't exchange a single word, for the warmth of each other's presence was enough.

* * *

Misaki was jarred from his sleep as the wheels of the plane touched the ground, slowly braking the machine from its long flight. He glanced over to the captain's chair and to his amazement, found Alpha landing the plane.

"A—Alpha!" He gaped, struggling to find words of relief. "Are you okay? You probably shouldn't be flying with your injuries."

Akihiko turned and gave him a small smile.

"Not to worry. I'm a tough cookie. It'll take more than a little gas to put me down. Besides, it looked as though those two needed a bit of rest." He said, indicating a cot where Hiroki and Nowaki were snoozing.

"Can you stand?" Alpha asked as the plane finally slowed to a halt.

"Uh, yes."

"Go wake the others, we need to unload supplies."

"Where are we? On another island?"

"No, on the mainland. We're at the base of the Nako mountains. It'll be hard for them to search for us here, though it looks as though we were followed at all. Nice job, by the way. Completing the mission despite its…rather _dire _circumstance."

"Well," Misaki stuttered. "It—it was more of an accident really."

"Still, you've proved you have the power to stop time. With training, you may learn to do it at will. But for now, let's set up camp."

Misaki nodded and went over to wake everyone, even while his eyes still glanced back towards the cockpit. His inwards felt more mixed up than ever. He was so relieved that Alpha was okay, and yet…this was the man responsible for his brother's death. Misaki knew he should hate Alpha, but at the moment there was a greater threat draining all his anger.

It was this life they were leading, and Misaki didn't know how much longer he could hold off the darkness creeping up on him.

* * *

**Hello readers, and thank you for your patience with my rather sparse updates. In the spirit of creativity, you may choose from the following list of reasons (excuses) as to why I haven't updates in a month**

**A. Spring quarter of school started**

**B. Writer's Block**

**C. Laziness (pretty much the same thing as B.)**

**D. Betrayal Knows My Name vol. 5 was finally released on Amazon (and left us at a freaking bloody cliffhanger! AUGH!)**

**E. My pets ate my story notes. **

**Anyways...**

**WishIwereanime, TheGrandJester, Artemis Fortune, aokochan17, JoanIncarnate, KiyameHikari-chan, kasugami-chan, Kuronokiseki, 33, seshomaru94, Keira Kinover-Mar, Maroontiger- you guys are freaking awesome. I love all of you. Thank you so much for your faithful reviews! :) Squee!**

* * *

**And finally, I would like to add that this chapter is dedicated to my darling cyber seme Don't Preach for special reasons. Your reviews make this bird squee more than anything else! A thousand kisses to you!**

* * *

**Next chapter we shall see just how strong Misaki really is...Stay tuned. **

**Love, **

**TBF101**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Tabula Rasa**

"We'll camp here tonight," Hiroki said as the team approached a clearing in between a couple of mountain boulders. Over the past two weeks, the six had been hiding out in the Nako mountain range, their plane safely hidden in the valley below. Although they had found a military jeep in the bottom of the plane, they still did a lot of traveling on foot so they couldn't be tracked as easily. If in fact they were being tracked at all. They hadn't so much as seen an FMA bumper sticker since their infiltration which seemed like an emotional double edged sword, relieving their anxiety but making them ever wonder about what their enemy was up to. Though some were taking it far harder than others.

Hiroki glanced at Misaki as the teen set his pack down and slumped onto the ground, looking extremely worn out. But it wasn't just today. Everyone had seen a radical change in Misaki over the past couple weeks, and it wasn't for the better. The teen was quiet, melancholy, and disinterested in everything around him, his spirits so low not even Nowaki could lift them. Shinobu was faring a little better thanks to Miyagi, but Hiroki knew Nowaki couldn't give Misaki that same unwavering support. Nowaki was their only doctor, and he had to give equal attention to all the injured, especially Alpha. For some reason their leader seemed to be down as well lately, though in a much more physical sense. Most of the time he was short of breath, pale, sweaty, and shaky, and Nowaki couldn't seem to figure out why.

Akihiko never complained about his pain, but he had allowed Hiroki to take leadership of the group for the time being. Alpha seemed distracted as of late, and Hiroki had reason to believe it was because of Misaki. Even while he ran high fevers, Akihiko seemed to be watching the teen closely, though he kept his distance.

Hiroki unconsciously rolled his eyes at his old friend. What the hell was going on in that moron's head? What did he want?

But more importantly, when was he going to stand back up and take leadership? Alpha had been the one to rally them together and give them a goal, but now everything they had built was falling apart. It wasn't that they were fighting each other, but that they were breaking down, and it was destroying the team.

Hiroki sighed and glanced at Misaki again, who was staring at the ground with a forlorn look he knew well. The teen wasn't facing the FMA or any outward evil, but his own demons, and that was a fight that could only be fought alone.

* * *

Misaki shivered on the cold, hard ground, his few blankets doing little to comfort him. The night was especially frigid in the mountains, and they couldn't risk a fire. The teen glanced over at Shinobu, who was curled up with Miyagi. They seemed to be sleeping okay, which made him even more depressed. He felt so alone.

What was even the point of all this? Running away like stray animals. It was probably only a matter of time before they were caught anyway.

A few drop of moisture filled Misaki's eyes and he pulled the blanket over his head, enveloping himself in the comforting darkness where nothing existed.

* * *

_It was some time before Misaki's eyes reopened, and as he awoke the first thing he noticed was a gentle clinking sound in the distance. The teen slowly got up and realized with a bit of panic that he was alone. The air was thick with fog and he stumbled a little as he walked through the darkness. But as he moved, his eyes could suddenly make out a faint light in the distance, and his pace increased as he headed towards it. As he approached, he could make out a single figure sitting cross-legged on a rock, swaying gently and chanting to itself, though what it said Misaki could not understand. _

_"Hello?" He called to it. The figure paused briefly, but went back to murmuring. _

_"Tabula rasa…tabula rasa…clean the slate…erase the pain…" _

_Misaki headed closer to it and nearly gasped as he saw the person in full light. But it wasn't a person at all. It was a puppet. A wooden figure with creaking elbow joints and spider web strings, moving on its own, ever chanting those same words, "Tabula rasa." _

_The puppet quieted a bit as the teen stood in before it, and it's ball socket shoulders rolled as it leaned forward expectantly. _

_"So you've come at last." _

_"W—What do you mean?" Misaki asked. "What—Who are you?" _

_The figure's head lolled to the side curiously as it answered. _

_"I'm you." It said, spreading its arms to show all the various connecting strings. _

_"B—But that's not right…I'm—I'm not a doll. I'm not a puppet!"_

_The figure grunted musingly._

_"Maybe not literally, but everyone has something they are bound by. You wear these strings in life, even if you cannot see them…Tabula rasa."_

_"You keep saying that," Misaki whispered in fright. "What does it mean?"_

_The puppet's unchanging face sudden took on a disturbing smile, and it crouched forward on the rock with its fingers tapping._

_"You're tired, Misaki, aren't you?"_

_"A little, I guess…you woke me."_

_"Tired, tired, tired. Weary of running and fighting and trudging onward. You're tired of living, aren't you?"_

_"What? No—"_

_"Don't lie to me, Misaki. I am you after all. I can see it in your eyes. You have nothing to live for."_

_Even while Misaki shook his head and gritted his teeth in denial, deep in the dark recesses of his mind, he knew this was becoming true. He had no one. He had nothing…_

_"That's it," The pseudo Misaki crooned as if he'd read the boy's mind. "Admit it to yourself. You'll feel better. But now that you've realized your lack of will, there is a choice you must make."_

_With a fainting heart, Misaki crumbled to his knees and held his head in his hands, feeling more lost than he had in his entire life._

_"Please…" He said. "Tell me what to do."_

_With a slight creak, the puppet reached down and fingered a string that ran from the center of its chest._

_"Tabula rasa means to have a clean slate…to wipe all memory…all heartache and sorrow away…forever."_

_Misaki's breath caught in his chest._

_"You mean you want me…t—to take my life?"_

_The puppet nodded, reaching out and handing the thread to the teen. Misaki took it carefully, surprised at how thin it was._

_"Why is it so small?" He asked shakily._

_"Everyone's is. A life is a thread. It will break or it won't. Simple as that. But you have a rare opportunity, child. Just a tug, a harmless pull, and you can be free of all these strings that bind you: memories of Takahiro, your cursed powers, the enemies that hunt you…everything will just go away."_

_Misaki shook his head, tears of fear welling up in his eyes._

_"I—I can't…the team needs me."_

_"All they've brought you is more sorrow. They cannot help you. They cannot even help themselves. Why, its because of Alpha that your brother is dead."_

_Those words hit Misaki like a brick and heavy drop fell from his eyes and splattered onto the ground. The teen began to quietly sob, clutching his life chord so hard he feared he would pull it. But all of a sudden, a face flashed before his eyes._

_It was of Alpha when he'd first told Misaki that Takahiro had died. The man's somber face was brimming with heartache and pain. He was beaten, torn, and broken…yet he kept on leading them. But how could someone keep on living with that kind of sorrow? Alpha always kept going, even with the burden of Takahiro on his back…_

_Misaki took a deep breath as he felt a new wave of courage come over him. It didn't stop the pain or even lessen it, but it was a life ring he could hang onto in the stormy sea of his life._

_Ever slowly, the boy stood, carefully taking the thread with him._

_"Have you made a decision then?" The puppet asked, leaning forward. "Will you pull the chord and cut your strings?"_

_With every small piece of strength he had, Misaki's hand released the chord and he said one simple word._

_"No."_

And with it, the puppet, the strings, and the foggy surroundings immediately evaporated, and the teen awoke with a start, shoving the blanket away from his head and sucking in the cool night air. Misaki's chest still felt like lead, and yet he couldn't believe relieved he was to see the starry night sky…

"Misaki?"

The teen looked over and saw Alpha approach with a worried look on his face.

"Are you all right?"

"Y—Yes…just a bad dream."

"I see," Akihiko replied. He scratched the back of his neck nervously, as if he was struggling to find words.

"Um, Misaki…" He murmured. "If you feel up to it, I'd like to talk to you about something. Would you?"

Misaki paused briefly, but feeling too afraid to retreat back to the dream world so soon, he nodded and slowly rose, letting Alpha lead him up a small hill where they could talk alone.

* * *

**Wow! I can't believe we're almost up to 200 reviews! I can't thank you guys enough for all your support. This chapter was a bit dark...when ok, this whole fic is dark, but a lighter chapter is ahead of us so I hope you'll stick with me :) **

**And for those of you who caught the Joss Whedon reference: kudos. **

**New chapter out soon! Hope to hear from you wonderful fans! :)**

**Love, **

**TBF101**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Forgiven**

Once Akihiko and Misaki made it to a small clearing at the top of the rocky hill, the boy sat down on the ground up against a small boulder, a shiver coursing through his frame.

"You cold?" Alpha asked, sitting down next to him.

"A little."

Akihiko looked at him sympathetically.

"Well, I'd tell you to sleep next to Hiroki, but Beta says he kicks." He replied, trying to lighten the mood. Misaki smiled briefly, but it fell as he pulled his knees to his chest. Akihiko sighed inwardly. The boy looked so lifeless, like he had given up on himself. What was worse, Akihiko didn't know how to fix him. He had been caught up in the battle against his father and Korovin for so long he barely knew how to process his own emotional baggage. So how could he possibly help a struggling teen like Misaki?

But he knew he had to do something, so he turned to the boy and quietly spoke.

"Misaki, are you doing all right?"

Green eyes lifted briefly but lowered back down as Misaki shrugged.

"I guess. I could ask you the same thing, Alpha."

Akihiko hummed thoughtfully at that one. It was true, he did look like hell lately, with shaky hands and beads of sweat dotting his forehead.

"I'm fine Misaki, believe me." He replied. "The person I'm concerned about is you. All of us are worried."

Misaki briefly looked at him, but didn't respond. Truthfully, the teen was processing so much pain and loneliness he himself didn't know whether to cry for help or curl into himself and drown in the darkness.

"You know," Akihiko suddenly said. "Your brother used to talk to me about you, so when we met I felt like I already knew you. He once told me that you tend to bottle up your pain, and he wished you would share it with him."

At the mention of his brother, Misaki noticeably brightened, and there was such a sad spark in his eyes that Akihiko stiffened.

"Nii-chan said that?" Misaki murmured.

"Yeah, we talked a lot…or at least, we did." Akihiko said.

"W—What else did he tell you?"

"Well," The silver-haired man said. "He told me a lot about the two of you, and how you lived. I was sort of always jealous that you two were so happy."

"You were jealous of us?" Misaki said, unfolding his knees and angling himself closer towards Alpha.

"Yeah," Akihiko smiled. "No one could make me laugh like your brother, especially since half the time he didn't realize he was being funny."

"I know," Misaki snorted. "He could be a little dense, but I liked him that way."

"And his stories, oh the things you two did. I remember one time he told me about how you spilled milk on the floor, and then the two of you somehow got it into your heads to clean the entire house with milk."

"I remember that!" Misaki exclaimed, a few giggles spilling out of his mouth. "It was such a stupid idea. We both smelled like rotten milk for weeks."

"I know. That's why I made it a point to avoid him." Akihiko grinned. Misaki laughed quietly, and a brief smile flickered on Alpha's face. He had never heard the boy laugh, and it was such a beautiful sound.

Wanting to hear it again, Akihiko told Misaki several more stories about Takahiro and him, and he was stunned by how happy the teen became. There was still an empty space in his chest, but Misaki found the goofy stories about his brother to be a soothing balm over that hole. But the way Alpha talked about Takahiro made him a little sad as well. It was obvious Alpha had cared for his brother very much, and to have him gone must be terribly painful.

"Alpha," Misaki suddenly said. "Do you miss my brother?"

Akihiko nodded gravely.

"I do Misaki, but…I'm also grateful. Takahiro once told me that you were his most precious possession in life, and I'm happy that I was able to save you from that lab."

Misaki sighed and clasped his hands together, looking up at the sky where his brother's spirit now dwelt among the stars.

"Nii-chan," He murmured. "At least you're not in pain anymore."

Alpha looked at the boy's somber face and was surprised to feel moisture welling up in his eyes. The way Misaki had just spoken to Takahiro indicated that he didn't blame Alpha for his brother's death, and that indirect forgiveness evoked both sorrow and joy from him.

Akihiko turned towards the boy and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know Misaki, I…I wouldn't mind if you called me by my name."

"Eh?" Misaki said in confusion. "But you're so much older than me. It wouldn't be proper. Wait, what was that nickname my brother had for you? Usa-something?"

"Usagi-san," Akihiko smiled. "Because my family name was 'Usami.'"

"It's such a weird nickname," Misaki smiled. "Just like Nii-chan to call someone 'rabbit.' Do—Do you think I could call you that instead?"

Akihiko's heart leapt and he smiled with genuine happiness.

"I'd love it."

"Usagi-san," Misaki said, trying the name out. It rolled off his tongue so pleasantly that he felt compelled to say it again. "Usagi-san—omph!"

But he was cut off as a pair of arms folded tightly around him. Akihiko held the boy to his chest, burying his face in Misaki's neck. The teen was initially jolted by the contact, but as he felt the warmth of the older man, he sank into the embrace and rested his head on Usagi's shoulder. Misaki felt safer than he ever had in this man's arms, and he didn't even understand why. But in this peaceful place, he felt entirely comfortable voicing his darkest thoughts, and slowly spoke.

"Usagi-san," He whispered in fright. "Do you think…we'll ever defeat the FMA?"

Akihiko sighed, gently tousling the boy's hair.

"I…don't know Misaki. If we all work together, maybe."

"I'm afraid…"

"What?" Usagi said, looking down at the teen. Misaki hung his head, his eyes beginning to water.

"I'm afraid Usagi-san…but not of them. I—I feel so strange and so empty I don't know what to do. I'm scared of what I've become."

Akihiko gently reached over and caressed the teen's cheek, lifting Misaki's head to meet his amethyst eyes.

"Misaki, your body is not something you should be afraid of. It's a miraculous thing, despite what has been done to it."

With those words, Akihiko tentatively leaned forward and planted a short kiss on the teen's lips. After he let go, he saw the most beautiful blush creep over the teen's cheeks, contrasting with the emerald depths of his eyes.

"U—Usagi-san? What—" But Akihiko cut Misaki off as he locked mouths with him, running his fingers through the boy's chocolate locks. Misaki groaned in surprise as he felt Usagi's tongue lick his lips and seek entrance, and without thinking he let him in. The kiss was long and deep, and it was unlike anything Misaki had ever felt, soothing and intimate.

Akihiko gently broke away after a few minutes, gathering Misaki tightly in his arms and pressing his lips against the teen's temple.

"Misaki," He breathed. They stayed in their embrace for several minutes before Misaki gave a light yawn, his head laying against Usagi's chest.

"You should get some sleep," Akihiko murmured, stroking the boy's head. However, Misaki seemed reluctant to be alone.

"It's too cold," He said, wrapping his arms around Usagi's torso. "Will you…stay with me?"

Akihiko's eyes softened and nodded.

Soon, the two were back down near the others, Misaki snuggling down into his blankets. However, this time as he drifted into slumber, there was a comforting heat at his back. Akihiko spooned with the teen, wrapping his arms around him to keep the night's chill away, and soon Misaki was fast asleep.

But rest did not come so easily to Akihiko, and long after Misaki was asleep, he lay awake with the boy close to his chest.

"Akihiko?"

Alpha looked over to the other side of the clearing, where he saw Hiroki casting a sleepy, inquisitive eye at the two of them. Delta was tightly wrapped in his lover's giant embrace, but he craned his head in order to have a better view as his friend spoke.

"Hiroki, it's time to end this," Akihiko murmured as he looked upon the innocent teen sleeping next to him. "It's time."

* * *

**JoanIncarnate, Alana-kittychan, Artemis Fortune, Keira Kinover-Mar, seshomaru94, Kiyame Hikari-chan, Shiya, Ayame-san, and my darling Cerberus- Thank you for helping me reach 200 reviews! :D you all rock!  
**

**inuyasha lover33- "Tabula Rasa" is a Latin phrase meaning "blank slate." Thanks for the awesome review!**

**We are reaching the final battle in this story. Stay tuned and enjoy!**

**Love, **

**TBF101 **


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